Kleides Islands

Kleides (Ancient Greek: Κλεῖδες and Κληῖδες), meaning keys in Greek,[1][2] is a group of small rocky uninhabited islands at the north of Cyprus.[3] Strabo writes that the Kleides were two isles lying off Cyprus opposite the eastern parts of the island, which are seven hundred stadia distant from the Pyramos river.[4] Pliny the Elder, writes that they were four islands.[5] In reality the islets are six, but the three can considered more like rocks in the sea than islets. The islands are also mentioned by the Ptolemy in his work Geography[6] and Herodotus in his work Histories.[7][8] A poem in Greek Anthology is also mentioning the islands.[1]

Some writers, such as Agathemenos and Hesychios named Kleides also the cape itself.[3]

Florio Bustron (1550 - 1570) wrote about them in his work Chronique de l'Île de Chypre de Florio Bustron.[9] Stefano Lusignan wrote about the Kleides islands in his work Description de toute l'isle de Cypre published in 1580.[10] David George Hogarth also mention the islands in his work Devia Cypria which was published in 1889.[11]

During the British occupation of Cyprus, a lighthouse was built on one of the islets.