Cypriot mosque to open next August: Turkish official

By Murat Demirci

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Construction of a major mosque in the Turkish Cypriot capital of Lefkosa is planned to be completed next August, an official in Turkey’s Lefkosa Embassy told Anadolu Agency Monday.

The Hala Sultan Mosque, built with assistance from Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate Foundation, will provide service for almost 3,000 worshippers when completed, said Selami Acan, religious affairs counselor at the Turkish Embassy in Lefkosa.

Inspired by the Selimiye Mosque in Turkey's Edirne province, the Hala Sultan Mosque is being named after the Prophet Muhammad's wet nurse, Hala Sultan, who accompanied a military campaign to the island – and was later martyred – during the rule of Caliph Osman.

Yucel Cakmak, a student at International Cyprus University, said that they are looking forward to the mosque’s completion as there are no mosques nearby.

Sadik Usta, a student at Cyprus Social Sciences University, lamented the lack of spaces to worship.

Saying that the mosque will have vital importance for the region, Usta said that they will do their worship more easily when it opens.