1 Pound 1973, Cyprus
| in Krause book | Number: 43b |
| Years of issue: | 01.05.1973 |
| Edition: | H 57 250 000 |
| Signatures: | Director: Christakis Costas Stephani |
| Serie: | 1964 - 1966 Issue |
| Specimen of: | 1.8.1966 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 149 х 90 |
| Printer: | Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company Limited, New Malden |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
Head of eagle.
Most likely, this is the head of Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata or Hieraaetus fasciatus) - - the only species of eagle breeding in Cyprus!
Avers:
So far unknown rosette. A request was sent to the Cultural Foundation of the Bank of Cyprus.
On background are Palmettes.
The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear relatively little resemblance to the original. In ancient Greek and Roman uses it is also known as the anthemion (from the Greek ανθέμιον, a flower). It is found in most artistic media, but especially as an architectural ornament, whether carved or painted, and painted on ceramics. It is very often a component of the design of a frieze or border. The complex evolution of the palmette was first traced by Alois Riegl in his Stilfragen of 1893. The half-palmette, bisected vertically, is also a very common motif, found in many mutated and vestigial forms, and especially important in the development of plant-based scroll ornament. 
On the right side is the coat of arms.
The coat of arms of the Republic of Cyprus depicts a dove carrying an olive branch (a well-known symbol of peace) over “1960”, the year of Cypriot independence from British rule. The background is a copper-yellow colour; this symbolises the large deposits of copper ore on Cyprus (chiefly in the form of chalcopyrite, which is yellow in colour). The arms is not violating the rule of tincture, since the dove is not argent (silver) but blazoned as of the colour proper, i.e. it has the colour it would have in nature, in this case white.
The name of the bank in Greek and Turkish languages.
Lower right - the island of Cyprus.
Denominations in numerals are in top right and left corners. The date is in center.
Revers:
On the right side are the remains of gymnasium in Salamis, built in the I century AD over the ruins an earlier structure destroyed by an earthquake.
Salamis (meaning "salt," probably from Greek salos, "the tossing or swell of the sea") was located on the east coast of Cyprus, just north of modern Famagusta. Whereas Paphos was the official capital of the island and the seat of the Roman governor, Salamis was the commercial center.
According to the Homeric epics, Salamis was founded after the Trojan War by the archer Teucer, who came from the island of Salamis, off Attica (the region around Athens, Greece). This literary tradition probably reflects the Sea Peoples' occupation of Cyprus about 1193 BC, and Teucer perhaps represents Tjekker found in Egyptian records. Later, the city grew because of its excellent harbor; it became the main trade outlet of Cyprus.
The largest building of ancient Salamis - gymnasiums - is located in the northern part of the archaeological complex. The remnants of a courtyard surrounded by columns with a well-preserved semicircular building of the former restroom of the 2nd century BC e. The first gymnasium building was built on this site in the Hellenistic period; it has not been preserved. At the beginning of the 1st century AD e. during Augustus a new building was built with a large eastern portico and colonnade, as well as palestra surrounded by stone columns. The dilapidated portraits of Palestine had a vaulted ceiling supported by stone arches. The entrance to the palette was located in the center of the southern portico. In the center of the palette was probably a column with a statue of the emperor, from which only a stepped podium made of gray marble has been preserved. Fragments of the Early Byzantine pavement with simple geometric patterns were partially preserved in the palette. The eastern portico had a different appearance from the rest: it was wider, had no vaulted ceiling, and its columns were cannulated. Columns borrowed by builders from ancient buildings were completely restored in 1952-1953. Along the walls of the portico there are marble statues found during excavations; these are mainly copies from Roman and Greek originals. After the earthquakes of the 4th century AD e. stone columns were replaced by existing marble ones. Around the same time, the building was rebuilt into therms. At both ends of the eastern portico there were open premises with pools. From the south, the portico adjoins a large rectangular pool surrounded by a Corinthian colonnade. At the northern end of the portico is a smaller pool, before the reconstruction of the 4th century AD. e. having a round shape. The east portico is adjoined by the well-preserved building of the term. From the hallways - symmetrical rooms with octagonal pools in the middle - you can get into the large room of the former steam room (judiciary). There was a heating system (hypocaust) under the marble floor of the rooms, which archaeologists called the “Western Hall”: hot air circulated between the marble columns of the floor, which was supplied from the room with heating stoves. Under the weight of the collapsed vault, the central part of the courtroom floor failed, which allows a detailed study of the heating system. To the east of the judiciary are the main premises of the term. These are three large halls perpendicular to the facade, ending with semicircular apses. They were built in Roman time. The lateral halls were the judatoria, while the central one served as a caldaria (hot room). In the northern part of the term was a furnace, from which hot air was supplied to the hypocausts. In the wall niches of the main premises of the term before the reconstruction of the building in the IV century BC. e. there were mosaics. Some of the mosaics were found during excavations in the southern hall. One of them, with a wide strip of ornament of twisted ribbons along a rectangular frame, depicts the river god Eurotus. In another niche, a mosaic with the image of Niobid perishing from the arrows of Apollo and Artemis was discovered. The walls of the halls were also decorated with frescoes, almost not preserved.
On the left side is an old Aqueduct, known as "The Kamares", stands outside the town on the way to Limassol. It was built in Roman style in 1745 to carry water from a source about 6 miles south of Larnaka into the town.
Kamares Aqueduct, also known as the Bekir Pasha Aqueduct, is an aqueduct near Larnaca, Cyprus. Located outside the city, near the old road to Limassol, it was built starting in 1747. Tassos Mikropoulos has described it as the most prominent water supply built in Cyprus.
The aqueduct was financed by Ebubekir Pasha (also known as Koca Bekir Pasha or Abu Bakr Pasha) who was the Ottoman Governor of Larnaca. The structure was in operation until 1939 and consists of 75 arches.
The construction of the aqueduct commenced in 1747 and was completed in 1750, costing a total of 50,000 qirsh which was paid by Ebubekir Pasha. Foreign travellers have often counted it as one of the most important monument constructed during the Ottoman period in Cyprus. In 1754, Alexander Drummond noted that:
For the honour of Bekir Paşa I must communicate an instance of the old gentlemen’s public spirit. While he was Paşa of this land, in the year 1747, he formed the noble design of bringing water from the river at Arpera, and occasional springs on the road about six miles from hence, to supply the people of Larnaca, Salines and the shipping. A work worthy of great and good man, which might have cost him above fifty thousand piasters of six thousand pounds.
Denomination in words is in lower left corner.
Comments:
The banknote withdrawn from circulation at 01.03.1984.
The British introduced the pound sterling unit to Cyprus in 1879 at a rate of one to 180 Turkish piastres. It remained equal in value to the pound sterling until 1972 and was initially divided into 20 shillings (σελίνι / σελίνια, şilin). The shilling was divided into 9 piastres (γρόσι / γρόσια, kuruş), thus establishing a nomenclature link to the previous currency. The piastre was itself divided into 40 para (like the kuruş). The para denomination did not appear on any coins or banknotes but was used on postage stamps.
In 1955, Cyprus decimalized with 1000 mils (μιλς, mil) to the pound. Colloquially, the 5 mil coin was known as a "piastre" (not an exact equivalence) and the 50 mil coin as a "shilling" (an exact equivalence). The subdivision was changed to 100 cents (σεντ, sent) to the pound on 3 October 1983. At that time, the smallest coin still in circulation was that of 5 mils. This was renamed as ½ cent, but soon was abolished. Mil-denominated coins are no longer legal tender.
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