Xylofagou
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name =Xylofagou
|other_name =
|native_name = {{langx|el|Ξυλοφάγου}}
|nickname =
|settlement_type =
|motto =
|image_skyline = File:Xylofagou.jpg
|imagesize = 300
|image_caption = Agios Georgios church
|image_flag =
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|pushpin_map = Cyprus
|pushpin_relief =y
|pushpin_label_position =bottom
|pushpin_mapsize = 300
|pushpin_map_caption =Location in Cyprus
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{flag|Cyprus}}
|subdivision_type1 = District
|subdivision_name1 = Larnaca District
|subdivision_type2 = Municipality
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|unit_pref =Imperial
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|population_as_of = 2011
|population_note =
|population_total = 6231
|population_density_km2 =
|timezone = EET
|utc_offset = +2
|timezone_DST = EEST
|utc_offset_DST = +3
|coordinates = {{coord|34|58|30|N|33|51|6|E|region:CY_type:city|display=inline,title}}
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|website = {{URL|http://xylophagou.com.cy/}}
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}}
Xylofagou ({{langx|el|Ξυλοφάγου}}; {{IPA|el|ksiloˈfau|local}}) is a village in the Larnaca District of Cyprus, situated close to the A3 motorway between Paralimni and the British military base Dhekelia.
Overview
Xylofagou's name roughly translates to "wood eaters". It lies on the northern flank of a hill,{{cite book|last=Bekker-Nielsen|first=Tonnes|title=The Roads of Ancient Cyprus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRZiz4HNJ7oC&pg=PA189|access-date=16 March 2012|year=2004|publisher=Museum Tusculanum Press|isbn=978-87-7289-956-5|page=189}} on the edge of a group of several similar villages collectively known as the Kokkinochoria (Greek: Κοκκινοχώρια) which translates to "red villages" due to their abundance of nutrient-dense red soil in which vegetables{{emdash}}especially the extremely popular potatoes that are eaten island-wide{{emdash}}are grown.{{Cite web | url=https://www.cyprusalive.com/en/location/kokkinochoria-red-villages | title=Kokkinochoria (Red Villages) | website=www.cyprusalive.com}}
Xylofagou is the site of the oldest known dwarf elephant fossils in Cyprus, assigned to the species Palaeoloxodon xylophagou and dating to around 200,000 years ago.{{Cite journal |last1=Athanassiou |first1=Athanassios |last2=Herridge |first2=Victoria |last3=Reese |first3=David S. |last4=Iliopoulos |first4=George |last5=Roussiakis |first5=Socrates |last6=Mitsopoulou |first6=Vassiliki |last7=Tsiolakis |first7=Efthymios |last8=Theodorou |first8=George |date=August 2015 |title=Cranial evidence for the presence of a second endemic elephant species on Cyprus |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1040618215005856 |journal=Quaternary International |language=en |volume=379 |pages=47–57 |bibcode=2015QuInt.379...47A |doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2015.05.065}} It is also home to a medieval Venetian watchtower.{{Cite web |url=https://www.angloinfo.com/blogs/cyprus/a-view-of-cyprus/the-venetian-watchtowers/ |title=The Venetian Watchtowers… |date=20 March 2017 |website=www.angloinfo.com |access-date=23 April 2018}}{{Cite web |url=http://larnakaregion.com/page/venetian-watchtowers-route-west |title=Venetian Watchtowers Route (West Larnaka Region) |website=Larnaka Tourism Board |access-date=23 April 2018}} Near Xylofagou is the Cave of the 40 Martyrs, where Christian soldiers sacrificed their lives in the 16th century to evade capture by the Ottomans.{{cite book|last=Bryant|first=Sue|title=Frommer's Cyprus With Your Family: From the Best Family Beaches to Mountain Villages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7CpWNh_qP7kC&pg=PA182|access-date=16 March 2012|date=27 January 2009|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-72318-0|page=182}}
In 2021, to commemorate the role played by locally grown potatoes in the community's growth, a 16-foot-tall fibreglass potato statue nicknamed the "Big Potato" was erected in the village. It proved controversial, with some viral videos mocking its phallic shape.{{Cite web|date=18 October 2021|first=Jelisa |last=Castrodale|title=A Village in Cyprus Is Now Home to This 16-Foot-Tall Potato Statue|url=https://www.foodandwine.com/news/cyprus-potato-statue|access-date=2021-10-24|website=Food & Wine|language=en}} Statue designer George Tasou said of the mockery, "I'm not bothered because it's brought publicity to our village, and I'm hoping it will promote the Cyprus potato around the world."{{Cite web|last=Pitta|first=Antigoni |date=15 October 2021|title=‘Viral’ Big Potato garners attention at home and abroad |website=Cyprus Mail|url=https://cyprus-mail.com/2021/10/15/viral-big-potato-garners-attention-at-home-and-abroad/|access-date=2021-10-24 |language=en-GB}}
References
{{Castles in Cyprus}}
{{Larnaca District}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Larnaca
Category:Medieval architecture