Arabahmet Mosque is a Classical Ottoman work located in the Arabahmet District of Nicosia. The mosque was built in the name of Arabahmet Pasha, who participated in the conquest of Cyprus, was the Governor of Cyprus and was among the first founders of the foundation. The mosque was built in the 16th century. The end of the century and the 17th century. It is recorded that it was built on the site of a medieval cathedral and/or on the site of a cathedral at the beginning of the century, and that it was repaired in 1845. When it was first built, its floor was paved with 25 tombstones from the Middle Ages, and these were covered with a wooden floor. During the repair of the mosque between 1992 and 1996, the tombstones at the base were removed and transferred to the Nicosia Stone Works Museum. It is the only mosque in Nicosia built according to the traditional plan scheme of Anatolian mosques. It is estimated that it was built with the idea that such a magnificent mosque would be built in a neighborhood where wealthy people, high-ranking public officials and even pashas resided during the Ottoman Period. The mosque, made of cut stone, has a narthex with a transverse rectangular plan. The narthex has three arched openings on the facade and one on each side. The mihrab is made of marble, resembles a muqarnas weave motif, and is surrounded by three moldings. The entire pulpit to the west of the mihrab is made of marble. The minaret is adjacent to the northwestern wall of the mosque and its door opens to the mosque harbour. It has a stone base, polygonal body, stalactite decoration, a single balcony and a metallic cone. There is a fountain and a small cemetery in the courtyard of the mosque. There are taps in the niches formed by the baroque arches in the octagonal planned water reservoir. This structure repeats the traditional composition of Classical Period Ottoman fountains and was built in 1902. The north and northwest courtyards of the mosque were used as a hazire (cemetery) where famous people were buried. Only six of the tombs in Hazire have preserved their original features. The single-type tombs in the northwest and northeast of the mosque were built here during the renovation works of the mosque between 1992 and 1996, and the headstones and tombstones, which are based on the courtyard wall of the mosque, were mounted at the head and foot ends. Among the important people buried in the cemetery are Kıbrıslı Mehmet Kamil Pasha, who served as grand vizier in the Ottoman Empire 4 times, and Antepli İshak Pasha, the Rumelian gover

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  Bellapais, unchanged and unhurried since its colonial days, this enchanting village has been immortalised in the book "Bitter Lemons" by Lawrence Durrell. The centre piece of the charming village and its main attraction is Bellapais Abbey. Perched precariously on a natural terrace, the abbey stands guard over the whole of the northern coastline, and is considered to be one of the most beautiful and indeed most important Gothic buildings in the Near East. Here, you can while away your days exploring the impressive remains of the abbey, or simply relax with a during under the "Tree of Idleness", an ancient mulberry made famous in Durrell's Bitter Lemons, and let the world pass you by. Ancient folklore suggests that those seated beneath this famous tree, become lazy and unwilling to work! The views from the village are superb, and from every vantage point, the plains of Kyrenia and the azure blue Mediterranean beyond, beckon and invite. Above the abbey lies the charming village of Bellapais. Tiny lanes and narrow streets, cris-cross haphazardly away from the main square, and scattered amongst the whitewashed buildings are many excellent and surprisingly inexpensive cafes and bistros. Bellapais is an ideal haven for those seeking a calm and relaxing opportunity to sample the Cyprus of a bygone era. &n

Karpaz Yarımadasının Apostolos Andreas ya da Zafer Burnu olarak bilinen en doğu ucunda yer alan bu manastır hem Rumlar hem de Türkler tarafından kutsal bir yer olarak oldukça değer görmektedir. Mucizeler Yaratıcısı, Rüzgarların Hakimi ve Yolcuların Koruyucusu vasıflarını taşıyan Apostolos Andreas’a (St. Andrew) adanmış olan manastırda yer alan kilise, görkemli mimarisinin yanı sıra göz alıcı avizeleri ve ikonları ile mekanın mistisizmini arttırmaktadır. Manastırın ziyaretçileri için burada gerçekleştirilen ayinler dışında bir diğer önemli imkan ise adakta bulunabilmeleridir. Sadece ortodoks ziyaretçiler değil Apostolos Andreas’ın gücüne inanan hemen hemen herkes giriş kapısının yanında bulunan adak yerine birer mum dikerek dilekte bulunur. St. Andrew'in, Hz. İsa tartafından papazlığa çağrılan ilk kişi olmasından dolayı dini ünvanı "ilk çağrılan" anlamında "O Protoklitos" olmuştur. Hristiyan inanışına göre St. Andrew bir gözü kör bir kaptanın kullanmakta olduğu bir tekne ile bir ziyaret dönüşünde burada kıyıya çıkmış, kayaya vurarak şifalı bir suyun kaynak bulmasını sağlamış ve kaptanın görmeyen bir gözünü iyileştirmiştir. Şu anda modern kilisenin altında içme suyu bulunan kuyuların bulunduğu küçük odanın 15. yüzyıldan kalma bir şapel olduğu düşünülmektedir.   This is one of the pilgrimage centres of Orhodox Church of Cyprus, and is at the tip of the Karpas peninsula. It was once the Lourdes of Cyprus, served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. An enormous modern plaza of pilgrims lodgings frames the slightly older monastery buildings wrapped around the church. Below, the modern church steps lead down to a square, vaulted chapel, three baptismal basins fed by a sacred spring and an old wharf. It was on this site that St Andrew briefly landed in Cyprus on his final missionary journey back to his Palestinian homeland. His footfall revealed a spring whose waters miraculously healed the blind captain of his ship.   &n

Samanbahçeevleri is of historical importance. With the rapid increase in population in the city in the 19th century, a mass housing project was carried out for those with inadequate financial means. In this respect, it is seen as the first example of social housing in Cyprus. Samanbahçe Houses, a hexagonal planned and dome covered square fountain located in the center of the neighborhood consisting of single type and adjacent houses, once met the water needs of the neighborhood. Samanbahçe, which consists of 72 houses and was restored by the Foundations Administration, UNDP-PFF, with the financial contributions of the European Union between 2003 and 2004, is one of the places that best reflects the culture of Cyp

It is a small inn with a trapezoidal plan, made of cut stone, located in the north of the current Asmaaltı Square, formerly known as "Wheat Market". It is the largest and oldest inn of Nicosia after the Great Inn. Although the exact date of construction is not known, it dates back to A.D. XV-XVI. It was determined that it was built on ruins from the same periods, using the old building ruins from the Middle Ages in the 19th century. As a matter of fact, the arched entrance door seen immediately after the entrance of the inn and the foundation ruins exhibited in the room in the northwest corner of the inn belong to the Venetian or Lusignan period. It was possible to determine the original name of the inn from archive documents and other publications that have survived 268 years before and after. In the document dated March 31, 1748 in the Sharia Registry number 16 in the Foundations archive, it is recorded that the name of the current Kumarcılar Inn is mentioned as "KUMARÎ" and that it belongs to the Kılıç Ali Pasha Foundation together with the bath next to it. Again, the name of the inn was mentioned as "KUMARCI INN" in two separate documents dated between 1811 and 1836 AD, which are found in the Cyprus Court Records numbered 32 and 36. Local and foreign writers who have visited Nicosia since 1873 have generally referred to the name of the inn as 'Kumarcılar Inn'. In 1881, Captain H.H. On the map of Nicosia drawn by Kitchener, its name appears as "KÜÇÜK HAN". It was also mentioned among the people as the "Pedd Instrumentalists' Inn" and "The Kemaneciler Inn". As a matter of fact, even in our recent past, it is remembered that musicians who went to circumcision and wedding ceremonies would sit in front of the 'Asmalı Kahve', which is attached to the Kumarcılar Inn in Asmaaltı Square, and wait for customers. While the "Kumari Inn", which belonged to the Kılıç Ali Pasha Foundation as of 1748, became the private property of Fuat Tüccarbaşı, brother of Derviş Pasha, over time, through the icareteyn (double rent) Foundation method, the Elmazlı Hamam opposite the inn belonged to the widow of Mir-i Miran Vizier Osman Pasha. It became the private property of Miralay Tahir Ağa, who was punished by being beheaded for stepping in the bathhouse. In the 1950s, this inn was registered in the land registry in the names of Mehmet İzzet Bey and Mehmet Asım Bey, two of the Merchants of Nicosia. Its first restoration was carried out between 1937 and 1957. In order for its further restoration to take place, it was registered as an antique work by the Department of Antiques and an annual rent of 70 Cyprus Liras was paid to its heirs between 1958 and 1963. After the death of the Tüccarbaşı, this inn was inherited by his daughters Hürmüs Hanım and Fezile Hanım. Later, although 25% of the shares of this inn remained in the ownership of Behzat Aziz Beyli and his family, the 75% shares of the other shareholders were sold to Tourism Operator Con Aziz Kent. With the contract signed by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment with the owners on July 12, 2011, the right to use the inn for 15 years was taken over from the owners. It is a typical example of the urban trade inns of the Ottoman period. The central courtyard of the inn can be reached through the medieval arch in the entrance hall of the inn. Although it had 52 original rooms, only 44 of them have survived to the present day. The rooms are located above and below the round columned arches surrounding the central courtyard. While the lower rooms were used for storage and stable purposes, the upper rooms were used for sleeping purposes. The upper rooms have barrel vaults and the wooden porticoes in front of the rooms are covered with tiles. Some rooms have a stove. The rooms have marble floors and rectangular and loophole windows opening to the outside. The floors of the rooms are laid with smoothly cut marble. &n

Kyrenia castle, which dominates the old harbour, is the most complete castle on the island, rivalled only by the citadel of Famagusta. It is thought to have been built by the Byzantines around 700 to protect the town against Arab raids. It was, however, built over an older, Roman, structure. The castle at Kyrenia, North Cyprus.Kyrenia castle In 1191, Guy de Lusignan seized the castle from the self-proclaimed king of Cyprus, Isaac Commenos who was in hiding at Kantara, but had left his wife and daughter at Kyrenia. Like Kantara Castle, it played an important role during the Lusignan period, and the castle underwent a lot of changes due to restoration work. The castle was further extended by the Venetians, and the bulk of what can be seen today is the Venetian structure. The Venetian South east tower at Kyrenia castle - Venetian South East tower The main features of the exterior are the round towers built by the Venetians. As soon as they took over Cyprus, the Venetians feared that the Ottomans, who were on the mainland just a few miles away and rapidly gaining strength, presented a potential challenge to their ownership of the island. This was a time when warfare was moving away from knights and archers, and gunpowder, cannon and the use of artillery was being developed. It was obvious to the Venetians that the old crusader castle simply would not stand up to such an attack, so they strengthened and widened the walls by simply filling in the space between the compact Byzantine walls and the over extended Lusignan walls. (You can still see an example of a superfluous Lusignan round tower stump in another part of Kyrenia). Round towers, which had proved to be stronger than square towers against cannon fire, were built at the corners. They built numerous gun ports at three levels where cannon fire could be directed at attackers from the land. Inside the castle, long ramps were built so that the artillery could be rolled up to the gun ports on the walls. Inside the Venetian castle can be seen the remains of the Lusignan castle. In places you can see stone balls about the size of footballs. Although looking as if they could be cannon balls, they are in fact, stone missiles used by machines such as the trebuchet. The Courtyard of Kyrenia castle, North Cyprus - Castle Courtyard The third, and oldest, castle is from the Byzantine period, although there is not much remaining of this. However the Byzantine church of St George which was used by the Knights Templars and dates to around 1170 is still visible. For hundreds of years this church stood outside the castle walls until the Venetians enclosed it with their huge north west tower. Nearby you can see a horseshoe-shaped tower inside the Lusignan tower which forms the old gateway. This Byzantine tower is built of rough rubble and is rather small compared with later towers.  There is nothing left of the Roman castle which dates back earlier than 330BC. The castle was never taken by force, repelling attacks by the Genoese in 1374, and the Mamluks of Egypt in 1426. However in 1570 the Ottomans induced the defenders to capitulate by sending as a threat the severed heads of the Venetian commanders of fallen Nicosia. Thus the massive Venetian towers were never put to the ultimate test. The castle was used as a prison at various times during the Lusignan period, and by the British early in their administration, and again between 1954 and 1960 for EOKA captives. Although it was open to visitors during 1963 to 1967, a large portion of it was used by the Greek National Guard as a military headquarters. The Parade Ground in Kyrenia castle, North cyprus The Parade Ground Today you enter the castle via a bridge over a road which was originally part of a moat and used as an inner port till around 1400. On the left as you enter, you will see a passage leading to the Templar church of St George which has recently been restored. As you continue up the slope to the parade ground, you will pass the tomb of the Ottoman Admiral, Sadik Pasha, who took Kyrenia in 1570. The parade ground is lined with guard rooms, stables and living quarters. Ramps lead to the upper sections of the walls, and the views from the top make the climb worthwhile. The Lusignan north east bastion is home to a permanent display of military history, with the armour and arms of each period in the castle's life, from Byzantine to British. In the tower there is a mock-up of a Venetian cannon crew in action. To the east of the courtyard there are two superb archaeological exhibits. The first is the Tomb-Finds Gallery, comprising three major exhibits spanning the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Hellenistic to Byzantine periods. Next door, the Shipwreck Museum displays a cargo boat which sank just off Kyrenia some 2300 years ago, and is the oldest shipwreck kn

Arabahmet District, which has now lost most of its historical features, is located in the southwest of Nicosia within the city walls and between Sarayönü Square and Paphos Gate. The neighborhood was known as 'Paphos Street' during the Ottoman period, 'Viktoria Street' during the British Colonial period and now 'Martyr Salahi Şevket Street'. The neighborhood has a deep-rooted historical past dating back to the Lusignan period. A large part of the historical neighborhood, whose houses were ruined because it remained in the border area after 1963, is located on Zahra Street and Tanzimat Street in the west, along Victoria (Martyr Salahi Şevket) Street in the east, and in the narrow streets opening to these three main streets. This neighborhood, like the other neighborhoods of Nicosia, attracts attention with its labyrinth-like narrow streets, single or two-storey houses with or without bay windows, low arched entrance doors, bay windows and decorated wooden eaves. Support details on doors, windows and bay windows enrich the silhouette of the neighborh