Bedesten

Bedesten is a historical building in the Selimiye quarter of North Nicosia, located beside the Selimiye Mosque. The structure’s history spans more than 1,000 years. Originally built as a church, expanded and rebuilt, it was converted to a Bedesten, a type of covered market, during the period of Ottoman rule and is currently used as a cultural centre.
Byzantine period
The earliest history of the Bedesten is documented archaeologically by a Byzantine Basilica, fragments of which are preserved inside the current building. These remains possibly date to the 6th century, and marked the site of the first cathedral of Saint Sophia in Nicosia.
Lusignan period
After the fall of Acre in the late 12th century, English monks who were followers of Thomas Becket established a new Latin church on this site and dedicated it to Saint Nicholas. With the adjacent cathedral dedicated to the Latin rite (catholic), the Bedesten probably continued to serve an Orthodox role. The church was expanded several times and rebuilt during the 14th and 15th centuries, but the old Byzantine apse was retained.
Venetian period
During Venetian rule, the Bedesten was used as the metropolitan bishopric building by the Orthodox church and dedicated to Mary as Panagia Hodegetria. It was under the Venetians that the north façade was constructed. Patrons were noble Cypriot families, their identity documented in part by coats of arms carved above the main entrance. In the same period, the dome and large central apse were constructed, replacing the original of the Byzantine period.
Ottoman period
In 1573, the building was given by the Ottomans to Haramayn (Mecca and Medina) to be used as a bedesten (a covered textile market). It was later used as a market for food, and by the 1760s it was a food trading centre for Turkish, Greek and Armenian merchants. By 1873, it had been converted into a flour depot. It was then used as a wheat depot in the 1870s and a generic storage place for the Evkaf Administration in the 1930s.
British period
In the 1880s, Lord Kitchener and other prominent British men in Cyprus wanted to buy or rent the building to convert it back to a church, and use it as the Church of St Nicholas again. This wasn’t allowed as the property of a foundation couldn’t be sold, and a shrine of another religion couldn’t be opened within 100 yards of a mosque. The British undertook renovation of the building, but it didn’t reflect some of the original architecture. With the opening of the new municipal market, Bandabulya, in 1932, it fell into disuse. In the 1930s, it was used for storage by the Evkaf Administration and in 1935, the Department of Antiquities brought medieval tombstones to it from the Ömerge Mosque, and were displayed for some time in a room along with the room's ornate Ottoman-era ceiling.
Architecture
The Bedesten of Nicosia is stylistically very different from other bedestens in the Ottoman Empire. It consists mainly of a mix of Byzantine and Gothic architecture, but also incorporates elements of Renaissance French, Venetian and probably Spanish architectural styles. It uses a cross-shaped structural style and layout that belongs to the Byzantine style, but incorporates a nave with a high ceiling that belongs to the Gothic style. The southern double nave is a remnant of the Byzantine church and its middle section is the oldest part of the building. The exterior of the nave in the north has the most ornate decorations and stonework in the building. This façade is across the front arches of the Selimiye Mosque and is the side where the entrance is located. The entrance is through a very ornate Gothic-style gate, with elements of the Italian Renaissance architecture added later and a statuette of St Nicholas. Coats of arms are located on both sides of the entrance. This façade also has numerous animal statuettes and gargoyles.
Renovation and current use
Between June 2004 and 2009, renovation was undertaken and the walls of the building were cleansed and the vaults strengthened using traditional building materials and techniques. It was then reopened as a cultural centre. In 2009, the renovation was awarded the Europa Nostra Award. Among the activities hosted are weekly sufi dance shows and the Nicosia Walled City Jazz Festival.