Selimiye Mosque
When the Venetians built the walls of Nicosia, St. Sophia was at the center of the city. Built between AD 1209 to 1228, it's a fine example of Gothic architecture to which a pair of minarets were added 1570 after the Ottomans took over. During this period, it was the largest mosque on the island, attracting religious schools and a trade center nearby. In 1954 it was renamed the Selimiye Mosque in honor of Sultan Selim II, the emperor during the conquest of Cyprus. Holding 2,500 worshippers, it still serves as a religious building, but visitors are welcome outside of the five daily prayer times.
