Sultan II. It was built by Mahmud II in 1829. Mahmut Library consists of a large domed room and a domed and arched porch. Like Arap Ahmet Mosque, it is an example of classical Ottoman Mosque and Madrasa architecture. There are approximately 1700 books in the library, including the manuscript of the Holy Quran and valuable Arabic, Turkish and Persian books. It was restored by the Foundations Administration in 2008 and started to serve as a research libr
The eleventh bastion on the Nicosia Walls, the Brave Bastion, is used as a park today. Taksim Football Field and Ledra Palace, where the matches of Çetinkaya Sports Club, one of the most important clubs in the history of Turkish Cypriot Football, are played, as well as Dragos Square and Pafos Gate from the Greek side can be seen very beautifully from this p
Ledra Palace Hotel is the central point of the UN Peace Force in the Nicosia buffer z
Nicosia Courts Building The Lusignan Palace was a palace built by the Lusignans in Nicosia and was used as the residence of the "duke" or "governor" (Byzantine Katapan) during the Lusignan period. It was the third palace built by the Lusignans in Nicosia and was the home of the island's chief constable, Sir Hugh de la Baume, before the Second Lusignan Palace was sacked. In 1427 it became the royal palace of Lusignan. It fell into the hands of the Venetians in 1489. The Venetians used the palace as the governor's palace and called it "Palazzo del Governo" (Governor's Palace). It began to be used as the mansion of Ottoman governors in 1570. In 1878, the island came under British rule, and the palace continued to be used as an official building. In 1904, it was demolished on the grounds that it was too weak and dilapidated, and today's Nicosia Courts were built in its place. Restoration was carried out in various parts of the buildings from 1998 to 2009. Currently, these buildings are used by the Supreme Court, Nicosia District Court, Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and Nicosia Land Registry Office.   Nicosia Post Office Building The Nicosia Post Office building was built by the British colonial administration in 1925. Turks and Greeks worked together in this building, which was used by the Republic of Cyprus for postal services until 1960. In the following years, the Provisional Turkish Cypriot Administration established the Turkish Cypriot Posts; He made the building the center of this institution.
Bedesten, also known as St. Nicolas Church is a Byzantine church built in the Gothic order, dating back to the 14th century. It was expanded with some Gothic additions made by the Lusignans, and after new changes made during the Venetian period, it was given to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis. It has a hybrid texture with different architectural styles. During the Ottoman rule, it was used as a covered bazaar and grain warehouse, with some changes made. During this period (1573), the name of the building was changed to Bedesten. The Bedesten was recently restored by UNDP-PFF, with the financial contributions of the European Union, and reintroduced to the community to be used in cultural and artistic activit
According to archival sources, M.S. VII. He was the commander of a naval unit in the Muawiyah Army during the Islamic raids in the 19th century. Ömer attacked the northern coast of the island with his soldiers. In the battle that took place where the soldiers landed, Commander Ömer and his six friends were martyred by local Byzantine soldiers and their bodies were put in coffins and buried in a cave here. After the conquest of the island by the Turks in 1571, these graves were found, their remains were removed from the cave and buried where they are now, and a mausoleum and a mosque were built over them. Hz. whose body is in this tomb. Caliph Hz. Omar, one of the companions of our Prophet. He has no close or distant connection with Omar. According to Islamic belief, a martyr can be buried in the place where he was martyred and the place where the martyr lies is considered holy land. Hz. In addition to the information found in archive sources about the construction of Ömeri Tomb and Masjid, there are also different legendary stories circulating among the public. Folk Legend 1 According to legend, long ago, pirates would plunder the coasts and kidnap women and girls. One day, while a shepherd named Hacı Hasan was grazing his flock there, he saw a bare-masted ship approaching the shore. He realizes that they are pirates and hides behind the rocks. Meanwhile, he begins to pray to God to save people from the hands of pirates. At that moment, seven bearded cavalrymen riding on red h nto the sea. As they make their way towards the ship on the sea and reach it, the ship and the cavalry disappear. Seeing this, Hacı Hasan comes out of his hiding place, goes to the rocks and sees the horseshoe prints on them. He returns to the village and tells this incident to the villagers. The villagers do not believe Hacı Hasan and come to the shore and see the horseshoes on the rocks. When they see the traces with their own eyes, they become convinced that the shepherd is telling the truth. After that day, when pirates did not come to this village again, the villagers said; In order to express their gratitude to the seven cavalrymen, they built a tomb and a mosque on the rock where the horseshoe prints are located, with the money they collected. orses appear. After looking at the shepherd and the approaching ship, the cavalrymen shoot their horses with fire from their horseshoes and ride them from the rocks on the seashore i   Folk Legend 2 According to a second legend, the commander of the Arab Army, Omar, came to Cyprus as an officer. In order to protect himself from the Byzantines, he and his six friends raided a cave to the southeast of the current tomb. Ömer and his friends are martyred in the conflict inside the cave. Two years later, their bodies were found intact and buried in the same place by the public. The cave in question; Until 1974, it was considered sacred by Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots and was visited for votive purposes. Location and Situation of the Tomb of Hazrat Omer. When we proceed to the beach about a kilometer from Çatalköy, we see Hz. Ömer Tomb has two floors, and there is a portico-shaped entrance on the lower floor, to the south of the place where the tomb is located. From here you can go down to the tomb and the mosque. The tomb with seven graves to the right of the entrance is covered with a dome, and the other parts are covered with a flat ceiling. On the second floor, there are rooms for visitors divided by arches. The interior and exterior walls were plastered with lime. It was damaged by the destruction of the Greeks in 1963 and by lightning in 1974. As a result of an unconscious repair carried out in 1978, it partially lost its real charac
Kyrenia Gate In order to defend the city of Nicosia, the Venetians started to build new walls in 1567 to replace the old Lusignan walls around the city. On these circular walls, which have a circumference of 3 miles, there are 11 bastions, each of which can be considered a castle, and a total of 3 gates. One of the 3 gates is the Kyrenia Gate located in the north of Nicosia. Kyrenia Gate was one of the most important entry and exit points of the city. It was renovated by the Ottomans in 1821. In 1931, the walls on both sides were demolished and the road was opened for motor vehicles. Kyrenia Gate currently hosts the Nicosia Tourism Information Off
History of Nicosia Starting from ancient times, throughout history; Nicosia was a city where feudal lords, dukes, kings, lords, nobles, barons, knights, governor pashas and Beylerbeyi ruled... When you look at the map, Nicosia is located almost in the middle of Cyprus. This city, which we call "Nicosia" and the Greek Cypriots call "Lefkosia", is built on a flat area and bears the traces of many civilizations, cultures and religions in its historical texture. Its oldest known name is "Lydra"... In its soil; There are ruins from the Bronze period and the Roman period… Nicosia has served as the "capital" of almost all the states that ruled Cyprus since the Byzantine period. In the city; Historical buildings especially from the periods of the Lusignan Kingdom (192-1489), the Venetians (1489-1570), the 370-year-long Ottoman rule (1571-1878) and the British colonial administration (1878-1960) attract attention. When Nicosia, which was a Christian city until the 16th century, was conquered by the Ottomans, Islamic architecture began to be visible in the city. In the 1920s, Armenians coming from Anatolia settled in this neighborhood. The Armenian Church (Notre Dame de Tire) located here was restored and joined the cultural heritage of the city. During the Lusignan Kingdom, which lasted nearly 300 years, Nicosia was governed with the medieval Feudal City concept and remained the administrative capital of the island. During this period, the Lusignans also built walls around the city. King Henry I built the first walls with two towers in 1211, Peter I built a third tower, and Henry II built the first walls. Henry had the city completely surrounded by walls. Used as the main church during the Lusignan period, St. Sophia Cathedral was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans and was named "Selimiye Mosque-Hagia Sophia". This magnificent historical building; It has served as a place of worship for Christians and then for Muslims since 1326. Derviş Pasha Mansion, Arabahmet Mosque, Haydarpaşa Mosque and Ayluka Church, which is now used for cultural purposes, are also noteworthy structures in the Walled City. Samabahçe houses are Nicosia's first mass housing attempt... They were restored with EU funds in 2004 and added to the "authentic" values of Nicosia. Outside the walls; There are regions such as Köşklüçiftlik, Kumsal, Dereboyu, Taşkınköy, Göçmenköy, Ortaköy, Kermiya, Yenişehir, K. Kaymaklı. Until the early 1950s, the city of Nicosia had a mixed character in terms of demographics. There were fewer Turks compared to Greeks in regions such as Tahtakale, Ömerge, Strovolos, K. Kaymaklı, and Entertainment. A considerable number of Greeks lived in neighborhoods such as Ayluka, Arabahmet and Yenicami. In the Arabahmet region, Armenians were in majority. When ethnic conflicts began between the two c ommunities; The British colonial administration placed wire fences between Turkish and Greek neighborhoods for the first time in 1956. Thus, the Greek tradesmen who remained on the Turkish side fled to the southern part of the city, and the Turks who remained in the south fled to the north. In 1958, ethnic conflicts in the city reached their peak. Hundreds of people were killed in the streets. Turks in neighborhoods such as Aykasiyano and Tahtakala fled to the north. In 1958, British authorities divided the city into Turkish and Greek sides with wire fences. The created border was called the "Mason-Dixon Line", inspired by the USA. In 1963, the city was divided into two by the "Green line". During this period, Armenians living in the Arabahmet region left their homes and moved to the south. City; It was divided into two areas with barricades, sandbags, barrels and positions. As a result of the military operation in 1974; New areas in Kızılbaş, Kaymaklı and Kermiya joined the Turkish part of Nicosia. Today, the city of Nicosia still maintains its two-zonal character. There is an area under UN control in between. However, it is possible to travel between the Greek side and the Turkish side through three crossing points. People, vehicles and products can pass through these points in a controlled and authorized manner. Lidra Palace gate was opened for the first time between the Turkish and Greek sides of the capital on April 23, 2003. Following this, Metehan was opened on May 10, 2003, and Lokmacı was opened on April 3, 2008. Nicosia Walls, one of the most perfect examples of military architecture, are 5 kilometers long and consist of 11 bastions and 3 monumental gates. During the Lusignan period, the city can be examined in two parts: inside the walls and outside the walls. The walls, which still exist in Nicosia and add great beauty to the city, were built by the Venetians. Nicosia was turned into a circular city with walls containing 11 bastions. The inner city section of Nicosia was entered through three gates: Kyrenia gate, Paphos gate, Famagusta gate... Bandabuliya, where city people meet their vegetables, fruits, meat and all kinds of needs, and the inns where village buses used to park are also noteworthy buildings. The Walled City is a cultural treasure in terms of historical structures. It is possible to see traces of several civilizations in many buildings that still exist today... Among the most striking structures within the walls; There is the Büyük Han and the Selimiye Mosqu
Kyrenia Marina is located in the touristic city of Kyrenia. The restaurants and bars located behind the horseshoe-shaped recess present a picturesque appearance. The presence of the castle from the Lusignan period, located at the entrance of Kyrenia Marina (from the seaway side), further increases the richness of the Marina. The buildings, which currently function as restaurants and bars, were previously used as warehouses for carob (carob) and salt, which were exported from Cyprus to Anatolia and Europe. The port, which had an important place in the export of carob and salt, was tried to be developed by building a breakwater and a single-storey customs building during the British Colonial Period (after 1880). In 1914, a second floor was added to this customs building (the stone-made building currently used as the Marina Office) and its final shape was given. The port (customs building), which was previously used for passenger purposes, was transferred to the Turkish Cypriot Tourism Enterprises in 1991 and its infrastructure was built and opened as a Marina Enterprise. Today, the Marina, which is the only one in TRNC, provides various services to many foreign boats and hosts them with its hospitable servi
It is located at Yavuz Landing Beach, where the Peace Operation took place in 1