Sarayönü Mosque (), also known as the Mosque of the Serai, 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 ...

, Cyprus, currently located in

North Nicosia North Nicosia or Northern Nicosia ( ; ) refers to the largest settlement and the ''de facto'' capital of Northern Cyprus. It is the northern part of the divided city of Nicosia, and is governed by the Nicosia Turkish Municipality. , North Nicos ...

. It is very close to the Sarayönü Square and has historically been on the square.

History

Camille Enlart has held that the 14th and 15th centuries, during the

Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...

and Venetian rules, the site of the mosque was home to a

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

church. It had one dome and was reportedly surrounded by a graveyard, which was the site of burial of a King of Jerusalem, a Duke of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

and other nobles. After the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571, an army encampment was placed at the Sarayönü Square and the Carmelite church was converted to a mosque to facilitate the worship of the soldiers. The exterior of the converted building exhibited

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

while the interior classical exhibited

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...

. It was named "Orduönü Mescidi" in Turkish, meaning "the

masjid A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

of the front of the army encampment". Later during the Ottoman rule, a new mosque was built instead of the former Carmelite church. The construction date of this mosque varies: some sources put its construction at 1690–91, attributed to "Kıncı (Kılıç) Ali Pasha", while some place it at 1820–24, attributed to an "Ali Pasha". This mosque had traditional Ottoman architecture in the interior; it had a roof that was supported by two sharp arches and an undecorated

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 ...

. In 1873, A.L. Salvator, who visited the mosque, wrote that a

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

with Greek inscriptions was located in the yard of the mosque, and was used for ablutions before prayer. The sarcophagus would be moved to the yard of the Haydar Pasha Mosque in 1980. The mosque was destroyed in an earthquake in January 1900. Fenton Atkinson, a British architect, drew the plans for the current mosque in the same year. Atkinson was allegedly inspired by his recollection of

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

. The construction of the current mosque began on 26 November 1901 and probably ended in 1903. After the intercommunal conflict known as the Bloody Christmas in 1963–64, Turkish Cypriots did not have a building available to conduct official marriage ceremonies. The mosque was thus converted into a marriage office. The carpets on the floor were allegedly removed and benches were allegedly placed in the mosque. In 2004, after pressure from conservative and moderate Islamist circles in Turkey, including the national newspaper '' Zaman'', it was converted back into a mosque.

Architecture

The mosque was designed in the Moorish architectural style, but also incorporates some Indian influence. Its layout, however, is rectangular and thus conforms to the traditional Cypriot style. Its front façade, showing foreign influences, is composed of five parts, with sharp horseshoe-shaped arches. The minaret, which is from the earlier Ottoman mosque, is made of stone and stands detached from the main body of the mosque.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarayonu Mosque Mosques in North Nicosia 20th-century mosques in Europe Tourist attractions in North Nicosia Mosques completed in 1903 1903 establishments in Cyprus Mosque buildings with minarets in Europe