 | Nicosia Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 134 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (134) The granite column in the Ataturk square was erected by the Venetians in 1550. Though the Ottomans removed the column and left it in the courtyard of the Sarayonu Mosque, the British re-erected it in its present location in 1915. The grey granite column is thought to have been transported from a temple in Salamis.
The insignia of six Italian families can be seen at the bottom of the column. The copper globe at the top is a later addition. The buildings to the West of the Ataturk Square (government buildings - courts, company registrar's, etc.) were constructed during the British colonial rule in early 20th century. They therefore have a distinct look.
The Venetian Column is also a great meeting spot, or aid to locate where you are in the city center. It's hard to miss! Leave a Comment Address: Ataturk SquareDirections: Old city center.
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This is a building that used to serve as a inn for locals or a resting location for caravans back in the day! It was built in 1570 by Ottomans.
After it got a face-lift (thanx to the UNOPS' Nicosia Master Plan), it now hosts several galleries, handicraft shops, and a cafe/restaurant, where you can sample traditional Turkish Cypriot food.
The only downside is its only open till 5pm except for Tuesdays and Fridays. And it's closed on Sundays. Even then most shops and galleries are closed in the evenings.
On occasion, plays, concerts and special receptions take place here. Leave a Comment Address: Asmaalti StreetDirections: Old city, North Nicosia.
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This used to be a cathedral, that got turned into a mosque in 1570s. It's one of the best preserved buildings, as it still serves Muslim prayers actively. The building is noted as being the largest and the finest temple, and the most important Gothic structure in Cyprus.
You can visit Selimiye anytime except for the praying-time (Ezan) during the day. Leave a Comment Directions: Old city.
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Just before the Ottomans conquered Cyprus, Venetians started building the city walls on top of the old Lusignan ones. The walls have a circumference of three miles, eleven bastions each like a castle, and three gates.
The one facing North is called the Kyrenia Gate (Porta Del Proveditore). The one in the East is called the Famagusta Gate (Porta Guiliana), while the one in the west is referred as the Paphos Gate (Porta Domenica). The last two gates are in southern Nicosia. Leave a Comment Directions: Nicosia.
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The building to the South of the Kyrenia Gate was constructed towards the end of the 16th century by Arap Ahmet Pasha after the conquest of the island by the Ottomans. The commander of the conquering army, Lala Mustafa Pasha, Arap Ahmet Pasha, and the first kadi and mufti of the island were members of the Mevlevi order (order of dervishes founded by Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi, called also the "whirling dervishes"). Inside the building, there are tombs and a semahane (dervish meeting-house for religious music and whirling).
Until Ataturk banned the lodges in 1920, it served as a Mevlevi Lodge; its last sheikh or head of the order died in 1954. At the entrance to the lodge there is a headdress, a panel and a fountain. Sixteen Mevlevi sheiks are buried in the six tombs in the building. The building which constitutes a different aesthetic sight in the city centre is now used as a museum of ethnography. Leave a Comment Address: Girne CaddesiDirections: Old City, Nicosia. About 30m further away Kyrenia Gate. On the left side of the street.
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The Kyrenia Gate in the North is one of the three gates on the walls surrounding the old city of Nicosia. This gate was one of the most important entry-exit points of the city. It is also known as the "Del Providetore Gate" after the architecture Proveditore Francesco Barbaro. The Ottoman restored the gate in 1821, adding a domed room on top of it. On the panel above the gate there are verses from the Koran. The seal of Mahmut II was placed on the Northern front of the gate in 1820. Leave a Comment Address: Inonu MeydaniDirections: Old City, North Nicosia.
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The St. Catherine church was built in the fourteenth century and converted into a mosque after the Ottomans arrived. Long, narrow Gothic windows are placed between the pedestals which get narrower as they approach the ceiling. The top parts of the windows are ornamented with geometic designs.
Haydarpasa Mosque is nowadays used mainly for art exhibits and cocktail receptions. Leave a Comment Directions: Old City, North Nicosia.
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In the 1500's the Venetians built walls around what was then the City of Nicosia (these days the city is much larger). Shortly afterwards the Turks captured the city, with the walls pretty much intact.
Around the walls are 11 bastions which have a kind of arrow head shape. 5 of these bastions are in the Greek side, and 5 more in the Turkish side, and yes that only makes 10! There is one more in the UN controlled buffer zone.
To let people within the walls, there were a series of gates. There are three that still exist today - Paphos gate, Famagusta Gate and Kyrenia Gate. More on some of these in other tips.
A good place to see the walls is on the Greek side. Start at Eleftheria Square and look at the gardens on either side of it. The best place to see them is in the gardens and car park that are on the opposite side of Eleftheria Square to the kiosks. There are some steps leading down to the gardens from the square.
As a point of interest, the Nicosia Municipality uses the walls for its logo. This logo only shows 8 bastions. Not sure where the missing 3 are. I have pasted the logo into my picture here which shows a bastion a bit further round from the carpark area. Leave a Comment Address: Just down from Eleftheria Square
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This Museum is in the South, and with a name like "The National Struggle Museum", you'd lay odds that it would be having a go at the Turks. This is not the case however, it is having a go at the British instead!
The first time I visited this museum was with a Greek Cypriot friend of mine from University (you can see her in the photo). Apparently it was one of her favourite spots, although given the subject matter, perhaps she was just having a laugh at my expense!
The museum is full of memorabilia related to the Greek group EOKA and their violent campaign against the British (including weapons and bombs), in their attempt to get the British to leave. It also documents the British reaction to this, which included hanging 9 EOKA fighters in the cities central prison in 1956.
As a brief aside, I have actually been into the cities central prison to see the real gallows (I don't have any pictures for fairly obvious reasons). I went visiting with about 10 Greeks/Greek Cypriots who I all knew very well, but had neglected to tell me where we were going! Once inside the prison, we went into a room with the actual gallows used and we were shown around by an elderly prison guard who used a lot of anti-British rhetoric. At the end of the 'tour' one of the Greeks thought it would be funny to ask him to guess our nationalities. He guessed me as being Greek. The Greek 'comedian' then went round us all pointing out our actual nationalities leaving me to last. The poor guard almost collapsed when he found out I was British and went into a long diatribe about how the British had never apologised for what they had done in Cyprus. Apparently I was the only British person who had ever visited, and I was made to sign the visitors book as proof that a Brit had actually been in...
The photo here shows the mock-up gallows in the museum along with trap door through which the condemned man would fall and handcuffs worn for the occasion. The photos of the hanged men can be seen on the wall in the background. Leave a Comment Directions: Near the Archbishops Palace.
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Ayia Sophia is a Greek name, and this building is in the Turkish North. These days the cathedral is a mosque called Selimiye Camii.
With a name like Ayia Sophia, it is easy to imagine that the cathedral was originally a Greek Orthodox cathedral, but when it was first built, it was actually Roman Catholic.
Building work on the church started in 1209, and took almost 150 years to complete. It is thought to be one of the best examples of Gothic Art in Cyprus. The minarets were added around 1570 when the Ottomans conquered Nicosia.
This mosque has a sound broadcasting system to alert the faithful to pray. I have spent quite a bit of time in the South of Nicosia, and it can wake you up in the morning with the call to prayers! Leave a Comment Directions: Follow the minarets!
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on November 1, 2004
on December 27, 2004
