Mariti, G. (1769) 1971: Travels in the Island of Cyprus (translated by C.D. Cobham), London: Zeno

The Abbé Giovanni Mariti arrived in Cyprus from Leghorn in February 2, 1760, and stayed in the island for seven years, till his return to Florence, October 6, 1767. Mariti was for some years an official of the Imperial and Tuscan Consulates. In 1769, he published at Lucca the Viaggi per l’ isola di Cipro, a book which stands as the best account of the condition of Cyprus in the third quarter of the 18th century. Mariti relied almost entirely on his own observations and notes during his stay in the island. His references to the appearance of the people of Cyprus, though not numerous, are valuable. Comparing the appearance of the females of both nations, the Abbé Giovanni Mariti, who stayed in Cyprus seven years (1760-1767), records that “the Christian ladies when they go abroad make a great parade of their costumes, while the Turks are covered from head to foot with a white cotton sheet.” (Mariti (1769) 1971, 6) Mariti also noticed various means applied by women to enhance their beauty; thus, he offers a detailed description of the plant henna, and the use of its leaves: “…The leaves, dry or fresh, when boiled in water produce a fine orange dye, with which the TURKISH WOMEN and a few Greeks stain their nails and the palms of their hands, with the idea that it refreshes the body. They dye their hair with it, as an adornment. And so tenacious is the dye, that it is not easy except by a long lapse of time to efface it.” (Mariti (1769) 1971, 12).