Akrotiri is one of the villages in the countryside which contribute to the preservation of basketry, one of the oldest fields of handcrafting. In the old years, several residents of our village dealt with basketry professionally, while nowadays very few villagers practice the profession of basketry since it is no longer profitable.

The raw material used for the making of baskets mainly included plants found in wetlands and the constant need for raw material contributed to the conservation of the wetlands of Akrotiri up until today. In fact, ten different kinds of plants were used for the making of baskets.   

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Centre of Environmental Education and Information contributes to the preservation of basketry by organising basketry courses, visits of groups to basket makers where people can both admire and buy baskets and also through the creation of a cultural trail. While walking along this trail, strollers are given the opportunity to walk past all the houses whose residents continue to make baskets. For any further information regarding the efforts made by the Environmental Education Centre to preserve basketry, please visit the Centre’s website.   

Sources:
Community Council Archive
Centre of Environmental Education and Information of Akrotiri Website:
www. akrotirienvironment.com