Famagusta, Northern Cyprus
Coordinates:35.124900, 33.942680
The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque is the largest medieval building in Famagusta, Cyprus.
Built between 1298 and c. 1400, it was consecrated as a Catholic cathedral in 1328.
The cathedral was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman Empire captured Famagusta in 1571 and it remains a mosque to this day.
From 1954 the building has taken its name from Lala Mustafa Pasha, the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from Sokolovići in Bosnia, who served Murat III and led Ottoman forces against the Venetians in Cyprus.
History
The upper parts of the cathedral’s two towers suffered from earthquakes, were badly damaged in 1571, and were never repaired.
With the Venetians defeated and Famagusta fallen by August 1571, Cyprus was conquered by Ottomans and the cathedral was converted into a mosque, renamed the “St. Sophia Mosque of Mağusa”.
Nearly all statuary, cruciforms, stained glass, frescos, and paintings were removed or plastered over, as well as most tombs and the altar. The Gothic structure was preserved however, and a few tombs can still be identified in the north aisle.
In 1954, it was renamed the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque after the commander of the 1570 Ottoman conquest.
This is similar to Selimiye Mosque in Nicosia. built in 13th century and converted to mosque in 1571.
There is a dungeon just walking distance from the mosque where famous Turkish freedom living poet Namik Kemal was prisoned 1840s.
Know This
Its really worth a visit. The gorgeous strcture is in the old town area and in the tourist zone of Famagusta.There are lots of restaurants and coffee shops around which are cramed with mostly tourists and rarely locals.
Lots of Islamic info by taking free quran and books which is a good way for those who don’t understand Islamic religion
