Nicosia Yeni Mosque

Yeni Cami is a mosque located in the northern part of Nicosia. It gives its name to the Yenicami District in which it is located. The current mosque was completed in 1898-1899, and the old mosque, which is located next to it and whose ruins have survived to the present day, was turned from the church. The first place of worship in the area where the mosque is located today was a church built in the 14th century with Gothic architectural features. There is evidence that this church was built in the 1350s or 1360s and was dedicated to Eleusa. This church, which was converted into a mosque after the city came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in 1570, began to be called "Cami-i Cedid" or "New Mosque". This structure, which remained standing until 1740-41, was demolished in such a way that its minaret and southwest corner were left on this date, and a new mosque was built 20 meters away by Menteşzade Hacı İsmail Ağa. According to the rumor, Menteşzade Hacı İsmail Ağa caused the mosque to be destroyed by digging the bottom of the mosque in order to find treasure, and he was executed for this reason. In the place of this mosque, a mosque was built in 1898-1899, which has survived to the present day. Since the minaret of the old mosque was damaged by a mortar hit during the Cyprus Campaign in 1974, it was demolished in 1977 and a new minaret was built in 1979.