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Across the shores, the Ottomans were the new rising power in the region and as the Ottoman Empire expanded it could not afford to leave Cyprus in the hands of another power. However they had to wait until the 16th century to take control of the island. The attack began on 1 July A.D 1570 and the conquest was completed by 1 August A.D 1571. Ottoman rule lasted around 308 years. It was during this period that the Muslim (Turkish) community began to appear in Cyprus. Besides the soldiers who took part in the war, the island was populated by Muslim settlers from Anatolia with a Decree of Deportation issued by Sultan Selim II in September A.D 1572.
There followed a period of Ottoman rule during which the Muslim Turks increased in number and lived scattered in different parts of the island.
There was concentration of Muslim Turks in Nicosia, Famagusta, Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos as well as in many other mixed or purely Turkish villages. These Muslims brought with them their way of life, customs, as well as their religion. In Cyprus the two major religions, Christianity and Islam, came into contact and co-existed as the two communities that lived on the island practiced one of the two religions.
In A.D 1878 as a result of the Russian-Turkish war and the Congress of Berlin, Cyprus was taken over by the British after it was sold to them by the Sultan.
The Ottomans left their mark in Cyprus in a number of ways, the Muslim religion being one of them. There were many monuments attesting the 308-year presence of the Ottomans in Cyprus; amongst these are the Mosques, Baths, Houses, Aqueducts and Fountains in different villages and towns. Right after the Ottomans conquered Cyprus a number of Latin cathedrals and churches were transformed into mosques and used for worship purposes. Amongst them are St.Sophia Cathedral and St. Catherine Church in Nicosia, St. Nicolas Cathedral in Famagusta , St. Aikaterini Church in Klavdia, St. Sophia in Paphos, St. Catherine in Limassol, St. Andronikos in Polis, St. Nicolas in Chrysochou, and St. Sophia in Timi. |
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The Ottomans and Islam in Cyprus |
