Maa-Palaeokastro (also known as just Maa) is an ancient settlement on the western coast of the island of Cyprus. Located close to Coral Bay, it is a key site that has built much greater historical understanding of the end of the Late Bronze Age in Cyprus. If you would like to pay Maa a visit, explore options for car hire Paphos Airport is a great place to do this. The modern town of Paphos is 10 kilometres from Maa so a car is essential for mobility in Cyprus especially because the island has no public transportation.

Back to Maa, the area was settled around 1200 before common dating by the Mycenaean Greeks who arrived at that time. The unique geography of the island with its natural harbours, sheltered bays and clear views of intruders arriving by land or by sea, made the island particularly attractive for the new arrivals. They built significant fortifications to increase their security even further. The Mycenaean Greeks built one wall to block the whole width of the narrowest part of the island's peninsula and, thus, provide a barrier for intruders on foot or horseback. They also built a second wall to offer protection from any force that sought to attack from to sea.

They did not, however, plan to have to protect the site from visitors approaching in automobiles. There are so many options for car hire, Paphos Airport would surely have worried the Mycenaean’s due to its sheer ability to so easily transport visitors to their very doorstep. There true threat of destruction came at the end of the Bronze Age when much of the site was destroyed by intruders that came by sea. This is an important site to include on any itinerary and the ancient history and skill that it took to build the structure is palpable when you visit.