Islam in Cyprus

It is rumored that an aunt of Muhammad, Umm Haram, had accompanied one of the early Arab expeditions to the island. She died during the expedition and was buried at the present Hala Sultan Tekke monument.^[4]

Since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the Muslim population in the north of the island has been bolstered by settlers from Turkey who are almost exclusively Sunni Muslims. The status of these settlers is disputed under international law and specifically the prohibition, under the Geneva Convention, on the cross-border transfer of populations by states aiming to engineer changes in the demographic make-up of other states.

The segregation of Cypriot Turks and Greeks has effected that most of the Muslims in the territory controlled by the Republic of Cyprus are Arab immigrants and refugees, unrelated to the Turks historically living in the area.

Several important Islamic shrines and landmarks exist on the island including:

• the Arabahmet MosqueinNicosia (built in the 16th century)
• the Hala Sultan Tekke/Umm Haram Mosque in Larnaca (built in the 18th century)
• the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, Selimiye Mosque and the Haydarpasha Mosque; former Catholic cathedrals left from the Crusader era, which were meant to cater exclusively to the Catholic minority which ruled the island and were converted to mosques after the Muslim conquest in the Middle Ages.

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  A mosque in Kyrenia
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  Ömeriye MosqueinNicosia
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  Tuzla MosqueinLarnaca
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  Haydar Pasha Mosque in Nicosia
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  Hala Sultan Tekke with Larnaca Salt Lake in the foreground
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  Entrance facade of the converted cathedral (Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque)
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  The Minaret of the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque
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  The Selimiye Mosque in Nicosia, general view
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  Turkish Mosque in Limassol

• Religion in Cyprus
  • Freedom of religion in Northern Cyprus
  • List of mosques in Cyprus