Phytiotiko weaving is the most important type of Cypriot Textile Art. This tradition is  developed particularly in the Paphos District centered on the village of Phyti from where it got its name. 

Till today there are no clear indications of when this art was developed.

However, testimonies indicate that the Art of Weaving, especially silk and precious fabrics, experienced significant development during the Middle Ages, especially the Lusignan Era (1192-1489).

The main characteristic of these weavers is the creation of relief colored embroideries in a variety of geometric patterns during their weaving on the loom. These embroideries are created on fabric in a natural color and are called “Boufa Feathers”. The main colors used are red and blue (older fabrics), which are enriched with other minor ones such as yellow, green and orange. Later, other shades of the above colors were used.

The patterns created are based on geometric shapes and resemble patterns of Cypriot Pottery Art from the Geometric era.

The weaver sitting on the loom uses the colored threads “the wicks” as they are typically called and by separating the warp threads, passes the wicks with her fingers creating geometric patterns which she fastens with the loom horizontally.

Well-known designs are “mavrommati”, “poxamatoui”, “tsiololos”, “koprika”, “foinitzia”, “koroues”, etc. Usually these patterns are continuous and placed on the fabric in horizontal lines. They are bordered with other simple and small designs such as “kamarua”, “herringbone”, and stripes. Weavers often decorate the center of the loom with beautifully decorated embroidered crosses, a symbol of faith in the Christian Religion. For the manufacture of these fabrics they use local raw materials such as cotton, silk and wool.

They manufacture woven goods for the home and family apparel, i.e. bedding, sheets, curtains, tablecloths, towels of all types.

Similar loom embroideries are made on a small scale in the Karpasia region. Today these items continue to be woven on a very small scale in Phyti, The Place – Cultural Center and several communities in the the outskirts of Paphos.

Through the effort to preserve this precious art,  here at The Place cultural center we have reinvented Phytiotiko to cover the today’s needs such as bookmarks, decorative laces for sandals, bags with phytiotiko patterns and much more

Listen to the audio guides or watch the video and learn more about this fascinating art: