Description of the attraction
Located in the Turkish part of Cyprus, the Selimiye Mosque, which is not at all a rarity on this island, was a Christian temple - the Hagia Sophia. Its construction began in 1209, but due to the grandeur of the architects who wanted to make it look like the Gothic medieval cathedrals in France, the completion and consecration of the temple took place only in 1326. As expected, both inside and outside this structure had a magnificent finish: it was decorated with statues, paintings, graceful wall drawings, frescoes and bas-reliefs. But as a result of the fact that this territory was more than once captured by different peoples, the appearance of the building and its interior decoration changed significantly, because each of the invaders made some changes to it. The building also survived several serious earthquakes, after which it had to be seriously repaired.
With the coming to power of the Ottomans in 1570, almost all sculptures and works of art were taken out of the cathedral, and the tombstones were covered with carpets. Only the statue of St. Sophia remained, which was moved to the street near the temple. In addition, two high minarets were added on the western side of the temple.
Later, in 1954, the temple received a new name - Selimiye. The mosque was named after the Turkish Sultan Selim II, who was one of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire, and participated in the capture of the island.
The Selimiye Mosque is one of the main Muslim temples in Nicosia. Currently, this building looks much more modest than before, but at the same time it still amazes visitors with its grandeur and beauty.
