Today’s The World Around Us will be presented in Turkish, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Turkish and Thai.

Greetings wonderful viewers, and welcome to The World Around Us. Cyprus is an island country that enjoys the warm Mediterranean sunlight and sparkling turquoise waters all year round. This beautiful island, covered with verdant mountains and valleys, is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Legend tells that it is the birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. The island has also been associated with Apollo, god of arts and music. Situated at the east-most edge of the Mediterranean, Cyprus has been the crossroads of Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa, and thus celebrates a cultural and religious diversity.

As the history of Cyprus can be traced to 9,000 years ago, the country is famed for her great archeological and cultural heritage, such as Neolithic settlements, ancient Greek theaters, and Byzantine arts. Many of them have been included in the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Today, we come to Nicosia, or Lefkoşa, the capital city of Cyprus, to visit one of the most important historic monuments of the city, the Haydar Pasha Mosque. The Haydar Pasha Mosque, or Ağaönü Mosque, was first built in the 14th century as the Church of Saint Catherine, the bishop’s church.

In 1570, it was changed into a mosque by the Ottomans, who added a minaret on to the southwest corner of the church. In the 1970s, the mosque was restored with the financial support of UNESCO and is now used as an art gallery. Now, let us join Mr. Mustafa Kemal, our tour guide, to find out more about this mosque.

This building is a building which has been made from only stones, has been built as a solid building.

Until today, the most important aspect of the church, which has a Gothic architecture style, is the door which represents the Gothic style. If you please, let’s see the most beautiful illustration of this Gothic style, its door on site. Here you are.

The mosque has a simple and elegant appearance. The single aisle structure was built using yellow stone, which was used in almost all churches and mosques of Cyprus. Also, it features the “Flamboyant Gothic Style” of architecture that has elaborate stone masonry.

This church is a church which has been made in a Gothic style. But, although there are a lot of churches in Gothic style, this church differs from other churches which has been made in Gothic style. The most important feature of it is that it has a architectural feature called as Flamboyant Gothic Style.

We can briefly tell about this feature that it’s broad at the base but then it becomes narrow upward. On all Gothic style buildings, it’s already known that animal figures have been used for the waterways to discharge water to the ground. Another feature of it is the door has been made in Flamboyant Gothic Style as we see on the right side. Here, especially subtle stonemasonry has come into prominence.

The Gothic style of architecture also features beautiful tapering windows adorned with geometric designs on the top. Placed between the pedestals, the mosque’s windows are decorated with intricate filigree and plaster work, instead of stained glass pictures as most Gothic churches have.

As known, the most important feature of the Gothic style is that there are narrow, long windows. As seen, by being made narrowish and long, they represent the architectural feature of Gothic style. The Ottomans decorated the windows of this Latin church with Islamic motifs and with plaster features, motif-ed features; they made it as its present form.

The columns of the mosque also present ornate Gothic designs. These delicate expressions are to remind people to concentrate on the Divine beauty.

Because the island is in the position of a bridge between Islamic and Christian worlds, especially as seen in the Latin church, so we can see that the Gothic styled architectural system, which is an architectural feature of the 14th century, has an effect on this building.

For example, on the motifs which are the beam point of the building’s roof, we can see an artichoke leaf. It’s possible to see these details on all of the columns. One of the most important features of the Gothic style is that people come closer to God in the sense of architecture.

When we return, we will discover more about the Haydar Pasha Mosque on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to The World Around Us on Supreme Master Television, as we are visiting Haydar Pasha Mosque in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. The Haydar Pasha Mosque was previously the bishop’s church named Church of Saint Catherine in the 14th century. Some of the relics from that time are still preserved in the building.

This room is called Sangristi, and it is a very important room, because it is the room in which the most important religious items that belong to the Saint Catherine Monastery Church were kept. Bishops were using this room by keeping them in this room to preserve both religious books and the crosses.

What is the meaning of these flowers here?

These flowers, as you see, they have been made as a symbol of a wild rose. And especially the wild rose, in Orthodoxy and Catholicism, is used as symbol with the purpose of sending the evil spirits away. And on the wall, because these were made, it makes the room special. Because, in this room, the most important religious items, valuable products like books and crosses, are preserved.

Mr. Kemal also showed us the place where people prayed several hundred years ago.

This place was being used as a place for making vows during that period, and the period which we call that time was the Lusignan and the Venetian Period. It has been constructed in the most holy area of the church, and to make this area apparent, wild rose figures were used.

Also, the shape that you see is a shape which is used in all Catholic churches, which symbolizes the place for making a vow; but especially the most important feature of this church is that there isn’t a cross sign which is in all other places for making a vow. Instead, it has been decorated with the five wild rose motifs that you see. Because this is Gothic, the most important architectural feature of the Flamboyant Gothic Style in France.

The mosque’s interior also incorporates Islamic architectural elements, such as the mihrab that always faces in the direction of Mecca.

You can see that mihrab, which was designed very simply, is full of Islamic motifs. Especially, the two stars of David on both sides and eye-like diamond shapes are some of the Islamic motifs. The most important feature of the mihrab that’s in every mosque, is that it is directed to Kabah where all Muslims venerate.

You know, all mosques are directed to the south. And so… by turning towards Kabah, they were performing the salaat (prayer) and were practicing their own beliefs.

Located in the area of Surlariçi, the Haydar Pasha Mosque rises above all the other buildings. From the minaret of the mosque, one can get the panoramic view of the city.

Now, we are looking at the area that is known as Surlariçi, from the minaret of this church called the Haydar Pasha Mosque or the Ağaönü Mosque. If we take a look around, the construction of the church, from the 14th century when the church was done to today, you can see the almost unaffected architectural features. Because in that period, only

religious churches could be built high. The places used as normal houses could not be higher than the religious temples in no way. This is a good example of the frame of mind of that period. Here, it’s possible to see this beautiful architecture. In front of us, in the Venetian period, we see the bishop’s center which is a union of all churches. Also, the bishop’s center, we observe that it was built of yellow stone, an important symbol at this point.

Another impressive medieval mosque is the Selimiye Mosque, which features twin towers.

Again, if we turn to right…

Here, that mosque, Selimiye Mosque, in other words Ayasofya. The Ottomans, by building a külliye (complex around a mosque) here, inside the külliye, they built a big complex from its library to its madrasa (school for studying Islam), to its bazaar, and that complex has continued its existence.

Thank you for the information that you gave, Mr. Mustafa.

I thank you.

Our appreciation, Mr. Mustafa Kemal, for introducing the Haydar Pasha Mosque of Cyprus and sharing your knowledge. With Heaven’s grace, may the Cypriots be blessed with peace and prosperity always.

Friendly viewers, thank you for joining us on The World Around Us. Please now stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Words of Wisdom, after Noteworthy News. May your days shine with happiness and love.