Ömeriye Mosque ( ''Temenos Omerié'', ), is a mosque in the walled city of

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

on the island of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, located in the south section of Nicosia. Following the

Turkish invasion of Cyprus The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of Cypriot intercommunal violence, intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots, Greek and Turkish Cy ...

, the mosque gained significance as one of the most important sites of Muslim worship in the non-Muslim section of the island and the city. Currently the mosque is functioning and open for both worshipers and visitors.

History

The site of the mosque was originally occupied by the Augustinian Church of Saint Mary, which dated back to the 14th century. During the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1570–73, the church was first heavily damaged during the siege of Nicosia in 1570, and was eventually levelled after the war. After the Turkish conquest of Cyprus,

Lala Mustafa Pasha Lala Mustafa Pasha ( – 7 August 1580), also known by the additional epithet ''Kara'', was an Ottoman general and Grand Vizier from the Sanjak of Bosnia. Life He was born around 1500, near the Glasinac in Sokolac Plateau in Bosnia to the S ...

, the Ottoman commander, ordered a mosque to be built on the site of the former church, based on a popular belief that

Umar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Mu ...

, second

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

of Islam, was buried at this site in 7th century. According to

Turkish Cypriot Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...

folklore, the Ömeriye Mosque is the first mosque where

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

prayed on the island following its conquest in 1571.

Current status

Currently, the mosque is active and open for both worshipers and tourists. Today, it is mostly used by the diverse Muslim community living in Nicosia's old town, including Arabs and Africans. Also, Turkish Cypriots who cross to the south section of Nicosia use the mosque during their daily trips. On 3 June 2014, the Turkish Cypriot Director of Religious Affairs, Talip Atalay, visited the Ömeriye mosque while visiting several sacred

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

spots located in the south section of Cyprus, following an invitation from

Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus Chrysostomos II (; born Irodotos Dimitriou; Greek: Ηρόδοτος Δημητρίου; 10 April 1941 – 7 November 2022), was the Archbishop of Cyprus from 2006 to 2022. Clerical career Chrysostomos was born in Tala village, Paphos, British ...

as part of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process, under the auspices of the Embassy of Sweden in Nicosia. Atalay was accompanied by the EVKAF Foundation's Chairperson Rauf Ersenal, a native of Tahtakale neighbourhood, whose family fled the area following the 1963 intercommunal violence, never to return.

Architecture

The construction of the mosque followed a similar groundsplan to the former church, however building of the mosque was conducted in the Islamic style. It nicely exhibits the characteristics of the Ottoman-Turkish architecture with varying elements, such as arches, small domes and a tall Turkish-style

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

easily visible from a distance.

Ömeriye Hamam

Across the street, there is a

Turkish bath A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

(''hamam'') located, named

Ömeriye Hamam Ömeriye Hamam () in Nicosia, Cyprus is a historic Ottoman hammam ( public bathhouse). It was created by Lala Mustafa Pasha in the 1570s, soon after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, and was part of the larger complex of the Ömeriye Mosque ded ...

, whose construction was also ordered by Lala Mustafa Pasha. The bath was in framework of the fundings provided by the EU and it functioned as a tourist attraction also open for bathing until 2012. The government of Cyprus stated the closure of the bath was for renovation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omeriye Mosque Mosques in Nicosia Tourist attractions in Nicosia Ottoman architecture in Cyprus Mosques completed in the 1570s Religious buildings and structures completed in 1571

History

Current status

Architecture

Ömeriye Hamam

See also

References