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Choirokoitia also known as Khirokitia is a place of archaeological importance in Paphos in Cyprus. The site dates back to the Neolithic age when people indulged in herding cattle and farming crops using the subsistence methods. Paphos is a great place to holiday with plenty of sightseeing opportunities and activities to indulge in. Your flight to Paphos will land you at the Paphos International Airport and you will need to hire a car for reaching Choirokoitia.

The archeological site at Choirokoitia has been listed with UNESCO as a World Heritage 1998. The site has been recognized as few of the most significant of the prehistoric archeological sites discovered in the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea.

There are close to 20 settlements spread all over Cyprus. Choirokoitia was discovered by P. Dikaios in 1934, who at the time was involved in excavating 6 other sites of archeological significance. The work continued for many years till 1946 by the Department of Antiquities. There were further attempts of uncovering such sites but it was disturbed by the Turkish invasions that occurred on the island.

The settlement of Choirokoitia is located on the slope of a mountain running towards the Maroni River at the approach of the southern side of the island. It is around 6 km away from the sea.

It forms a closed settlement isolated from the outside happenings except for the river that flows to other parts also. It also consists of a thick wall made of stones. The wall is as thick as 2.5 meters. It is also 3 meters high with some entry points on the wall.

Most archeologists who have surveyed the settlement had concluded that the roofs here were dome shaped but there is a recently discovered broken roof that indicates otherwise. It is a great place to be in Paphos. For people travelling with children it would give a great insight into the history concerning the Neolithic age.

The divisions made inside the various huts seemed to have been done depending on the way the rooms would be used. Some of the rooms contain low walls that show that they were probably meant for storage of food grains and crops. They also seem to have had hearths for carrying out heating and cooking. Some of the huts also contain piers to provide additional support to the higher floors. It looks as if many huts were combined along with a wide courtyard to form a complete house.

It is an excellent site that accommodated 400 to 600 residents. The dead were known to have been buried in folded positions. There are several interesting things to think about while exploring this site. Most enjoy the architecture and seeing the belongings of the inhabitants.