Selimiye Mosque, Nicosia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBedestan-St. Nicholas Church<\/b><\/p><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Set within the walled area of the city, the Bedestan-St. Nicholas Church originally dates from the Byzantine era, with a Gothic-style extension erected in the 12th century. It is dedicated to St. Nicholas and became the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the 16th century. It is also known as the \u2018Bedestan\u2019 because it was used as a covered market (bedestan) after churches were closed during the Ottoman era. The Church now serves as a multicultural center.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Great Inn (B\u00fcy\u00fck Han)<\/b><\/p><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Erected in 1572 as a commercial center, the B\u00fcy\u00fck Han is among the city’s oldest Turkish structures and considered a stellar example of the Anatolian architecture of the period. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Kyrenia Gate and the Lapidary (<\/b>Lapithos<\/i><\/b>) Museum <\/b><\/p><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The city\u2019s Venetian rulers built a series of fortification walls to defend against invaders. In a star shape with eleven bastions, the walls featured three gates, one of which is the still intact Kyrenia Gate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set in a 15th<\/sup>-century stone building with a courtyard, the Lapidary Museum displays a number of stone works, columns and tombs, as well as a Gothic-style carved stone window from the Lusignan Palace.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSelimiye Mosque<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n Steps away from the Lapidary Museum is the Selimiye Mosque. The 13th-century Gothic-style structure was built as the Cathedral of St. Sophia and converted into a mosque during the Ottoman era.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Haydarpa\u015fa Mosque<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n Built in the 14th century as St. Catherine\u2019s Church, when Cyprus was under Frankish rule, this structure was described by historian Sir Harry Luke as the most elegant and perfect Gothic structure on the island. The Church was converted into the Haydarpa\u015fa Mosque during the Ottoman era. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Venetian Column<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n Standing in what is now Atat\u00fcrk Square, in the city center, the Venetian Column was brought to Nicosia in 1489, from the temple of Zeus in Salamis. The Column was originally installed opposite the old Lusignan Palace; its base depicted carvings depicting the six coats of arms belonging to noble Italian families, five of which can still be seen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arab Ahmet Neighborhood<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n One of the city\u2019s original quarters, the district was named for Ottoman commander Arab Ahmet Pasha during the Ottoman era, when it became an upscale neighborhood for high-ranking officials. Some of the historical structures in the area include the Arab Ahmet Mosque and the Arab Ahmet aqueduct. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dining in Nicosia<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\nPeach kebab is unique to Cyprus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSome of the local specialties in Nicosia include halloumi cheese, a cheese made from goat\u2019s and sheep\u2019s milk and often served fried or grilled. Cypriot-style meatballs are another local dish, as is molehiya, a dish of stewed spiced jute leaves and lamb or chicken meat. In addition, peach kebab is a well-known local specialty. According to the Republic of T\u00fcrkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the name of this delicious lamb and vegetable dish \u201cderived from a misunderstanding\u201d. A cook called Ali prepared the dish so beautifully that it was named after him as \u2018Chef Ali’s Kebab\u2019. The dish\u2019s name was soon shortened to \u2018Chef Ali\u2019, which sounds very much like \u015feftali in Turkish \u2013 which means \u2018peach\u2019. Thus the current name: peach kebab! \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transportation in Nicosia<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBuses and minibuses are frequently used for urban transportation in Nicosia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPublic transportation in Nicosia<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n The public transportation network in Nicosia consists of buses and minibuses. Single tickets can be purchased from the drivers; weekly or monthly transportation cards are also available at kiosks and stations.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flying to Nicosia<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n Nicosia\u2019s Ercan International Airport is 23 kilometers from the city center. Buses and shuttle services operate between the airport and the city center, with KIBHAS buses providing the most convenient public transportation option. Shuttle services are more expensive but faster. Taxis are also available, and the drive takes around 50 minutes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Getting started: About Nicosia Places to visit in Nicosia Bedestan-St. Nicholas Church Set within the walled area of the city, the Bedestan-St. Nicholas Church originally dates from the Byzantine era, with a Gothic-style extension erected in the 12th century. It is dedicated to St. Nicholas and became the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the 16th century. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":40666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1112,1136,147],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-40927","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-1-city-3-days","8":"category-nicosia-travel-guide","9":"category-trip-ideas"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40927"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43912,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40927\/revisions\/43912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Places](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Lefkosa-gezilecek-yerler.jpg\")
![\"Selimiye](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/selimiye-cami-lefkosa.jpg\")
![\"peach](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/seftali-kebabi.jpg\")
![\"Nicosia](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/lefkosa-ulasim.jpg\")