Omeriye Mosque
A working Nicosia mosque in a former fourteenth-century church
The story
The Omeriye Mosque stands in old Nicosia, inside the city walls. At first this was the Church of Saint Mary of an Augustinian monastery. The Augustinians are a Catholic monastic order. The main entrance survives from the fourteenth-century building. During the Ottoman siege of 1570, cannonballs destroyed the roof and the upper part of the walls. In 1571 Mustafa Pasha turned the church into a mosque. The Ottomans restored the walls, covered the building with a wooden roof and added a minaret. The name is linked to a legend that Omer once stayed here for the night. Today the mosque is in use, and Friday prayers are held here.
The Muslim community of Cyprus is mostly Turkish Cypriots, and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism page on the island’s religions lists the Omeriye Mosque as a place of Muslim prayer in Nicosia. Remember: it is the former fourteenth-century Augustinian Church of Saint Mary, and it became a mosque in 1571, after the Ottoman conquest.
Visiting
Entry is free. Tourists are let in when there is no prayer. Friday prayers run roughly from 12:30 to 13:30. Closed on public holidays. Dress modestly and ask permission before taking photos. Hours may change, so check in advance.
On the way
Photos
Sources
- Nicosia Municipality — Omeriye Mosque (Places of Worship)
- Δήμος Λευκωσίας — Τέμενος Ομεριέ
- Visit Cyprus (Deputy Ministry of Tourism) — Omeriye Mosque
- Visit Cyprus (Deputy Ministry of Tourism) — Languages & Religions
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