Must-see attractions in North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

  • Selimiye Mosque in Nicosia, Northern Cyprus.

    Selimiye Mosque

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    North Nicosia’s most prominent landmark (also clearly visible from the southern half of the city), the Selimiye Mosque is a beautiful mongrel of a…

  • Buyuk Han (The Great Inn) Nicosia, North Cyprus; Shutterstock ID 54096925; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Büyük Han

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    The Büyük Han is Cyprus' best-preserved example of Ottoman caravanserai architecture. Built in 1572 by the first Ottoman governor of Cyprus, Lala Mustafa…

  • Armenian Church & Nunnery

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    This church and nunnery is first thought to have been established in the 13th century as the Abbey of Our Lady of Tyre, and was handed over to the island…

  • Arabahmet Quarter

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    This neighbourhood rubbing up against the Green Line is home to well-preserved examples of Ottoman-era town-house architecture. The narrow alleyways are…

  • Haydarpaşa Mosque

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    The second-most important Gothic structure in North Nicosia after the Selimiye Mosque, this building began life as the 14th-century Church of St Catherine…

  • Mevlevi Tekke Museum

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    This 17th-century former tekke (dervish house) was once Cyprus' central meeting place for the island's followers of the Mevlevi Order. Made famous by the…

  • Ethnographic Museum of Cyprus

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    This eclectic museum in the New City is the work of Ergün Pektaş, who scoured Northern Cyprus to salvage and preserve local craftwork, day-to-day objects,…

  • Samanbahçe Quarter

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    This neighbourhood of whitewashed terraced cottages, tucked off Girne Caddesi, was Cyprus' first social housing project. Built in the early 20th century,…

  • Bedestan

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    Renovated as part of the Nicosia Master Plan, the imposing Bedestan dates from the 6th century, when it was built as a small Byzantine chapel. It was…

  • Dervish Pasha Mansion

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    This small ethnographic museum is housed in a 19th-century mansion. Built in 1807, it belonged to wealthy a Turkish Cypriot, Derviş Paşa, who published…

  • Museum of Barbarism

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    Set in the house where the family of Dr Nihat İlhan was murdered during 1963's intercommunal attacks, this museum is a gruesome reminder of the brutal and…

  • Dr Fazil Küçük Museum

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    Doctor, newspaper publisher and politician Fazil Küçük was the Turkish Cypriot community's leader from the 1940s to '60s; when the Republic of Cyprus was…

  • Eaved House

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    Unique for its wide eaves, this house is a combination of Lusignan and Ottoman architecture and now functions as an art and culture centre hosting…

  • Kumarcılar Han

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    This caravanserai is a smaller version of the neighbouring Büyük Han and was built in the early 18th century. Today its courtyard hosts cafes, and the…

  • Lapidary Museum

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    Housed in a lovely 15th-century building, exhibits of the medieval-era stonework here include a varied collection of column capitals, stelae, and a Gothic…

  • Bandabulya

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    Dating back to the early 20th century, this covered market has a mix of produce stalls piled high with fruit and vegetables for local shoppers, craft…

  • Kıbrıs Türk İslam Eserleri Müzesi

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    This museum has a small but beautiful collection of Turkish carpets that is worth popping in and having a look at if you're a textiles fan. It's tucked…

  • Colonial Law Courts

    North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)

    This finely preserved example of colonial architecture was built during British rule in 1901. Today it carries on with its original function as the North…