Less than half the size of New Jersey, one of the smaller countries in the world, Cyprus makes up for its lack of land area with a pretty awesome history. Little do most people know how important the island of Cyprus has been, particularly in the middle ages, when it absorbed various traditions and culture, acting as a stop-over within the crossroads of important sea routes.
While there are just over 1.1 million people living on this 3,572 square-mile island, just like most other nations on this planet, their history means a lot to them. The Middle Ages in particular, were quite tumultuous times for Cyprus as Crusaders targeted the island, and eventually Richard the Lion Heart, who was given the name “the wretch,’ attacked it and occupied it before raising taxes, and eventually selling it to the Knights Templar. Wars, earthquakes and fires have taken their toll on many of the structures over the centuries to follow, leaving much of this historic past only surviving on pages of history books.
A project called the Historic Atlas of Medieval Cyprus, however, is trying to reconstruct this past, bringing the history back to life, thanks in part to 3D printing and a Larnaca, Cyprus-based company called Ilios 3D. The project aims to rebuild Medieval Cyprus from the ground up, at a miniature 1:72,000 scale, reconstructing old buildings, castles, knights’ quarters and more.
“Ilios helped create the models, buildings and other items in the Historical Atlas – Medieval Cyprus Exposition in Limassol, which opened its doors to the public this Thursday the 23rd of July, explained Demetris Ruslan Zavorotnitsienko, CEO/Lead Developer of Ilios 3D. “It will feature a large diorama of the entire Cyprus island, taken from medieval times of Richard the Lion Heart and his bride Verengaria. It was a pleasure to work on and will make anyone who lives in Cyprus proud to have such heritage. Definitely recommend a visit to anyone who is interested.”
Those behind the project, supported by Kiprinform.com, and curated and organized by CyprusInform tourism, spent a tremendous amount of time sourcing old prints, drawings and pictures to recreate what the island would have 
looked like during the times of Richard the Lion Heart, back in the late 12th century.
As you can see from the images, the project’s creators have reconstructed every part of Cyprus life, from the Crusader ships in the Mediterranean Sea to the buildings and even the people of the time, most of which have been 3D printed out of from photosensitive resins before being painted. 3D printing permitted them to create a variety of items without the lengthy time it would have taken using traditional model-making techniques.
For those visiting or living near Limassol, Cyprus, wishing to pay a visit to the exhibit, it’s open between the hours of 8am to 8pm daily. Admission is 14€ for adults and 8€ for children. Let us know if you’ve visited the Historical Atlas of Medieval Cyprus. Discuss in the 3D Printed Cyprus forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out some additional photos below:
