Iplik Bazaar Mosque

Two inscriptions above the entrance doors of Iplik Bazaar Mosque identify two differing periods of build. The initial construction was sponsored in 1826 by Hadji Ahmet Ahga, a governor of Cyprus and the last to hold the title of muhassilor tax-collector.
In its earlier days, the mosque was also known as âMuhassil Haci Ahmed Agha Mosqueâ. It's now known as the Iplik Bazaar Mosque, which references the cotton bazaar that was located here during the Ottoman period.The second inscription reveals the building was demolished and replaced in 1899 with the mosque that stands today, under the sponsorship of Muhammed Sadik Bey, a charitable foundation board member during British rule.
This work expanded the areaâs mosque capacity to meet the requirements of an ever-increasing congregation. The minaret, which is accessible from inside the mosque, was retained from the original structure and is only one of two designs in Northern Cyprus that feature a stone conical top. The mosqueâs architecture is utilitarian, rectangular and built of cut stone and rubble fillings. Two arches support the wooden ceiling and the main room is illuminated by arched windows. A wooden staircase leads to an area for female worshippers. In the yard is a hexagonal water fountain built in the British period. The ground level of the yard rose so much in the 20th century, the taps of the fountain have been left under the surface. Two tombstones discovered next to the mosque indicate a small cemetery once existed next to it.