The state-of-the-art walkway was inaugurated at a ceremony on July 1, 2009, with participation from U.S. Ambassador Urbancic and USAID Representative Alan Davis.

Protecting Cyprus’ rich and varied cultural heritage is a shared responsibility. As part of its ongoing efforts to build local capacity to better manage cultural resources, the USAID-funded Supporting Activities that Value the Environment (SAVE) project has provided technical assistance focused on the mosaics at the Basilica of Soli. The ancient city of Soli was one of the ten city-kingdoms of Cyprus and human activity at the site can be dated to the sixth century BC with nearby settlements dating as far back as the eleventh century BC. Soli has religious significance to Christians as the site where Saint Mark is said to have baptized the revered Cypriot Saint Auxibius, Soli’s first Bishop, around AD57. The Basilica itself is thought to be one of the earliest of its kind in Cyprus and is exceptional due to its size and surviving Roman mosaics.

SAVE’s work has included the engagement of international experts to assess and evaluate the Soli mosaics and their condition; to clean and stabilize those most at risk; to photograph and otherwise document the site; to address the water problems that are a source of ongoing erosion and decay; and to design an elevated, non-intrusive walkway to keep visitors to the site from walking on the mosaics and/or taking pieces of them away. The state-of-the-art walkway was inaugurated at a ceremony on July 1, 2009, with participation from U.S. Ambassador Urbancic and USAID Representative Alan Davis.

Like all U.S.-funded programs in Cyprus, SAVE is aimed at facilitating reunification of the island, including through better protection and management of the island’s natural and cultural resources.