The Hala Sultan Tekke is an Islamic shrine, unusual in that it is dedicated to a woman, built between 1760 and 1796. Overlooking the Salt Lake, where flamingoes stop en route from Africa in spring and autumn, it is a peaceful, beautiful spot for a mosque.
The woman in question was Umm Haram, aunt of an associate of the Prophet Mohammed, who was thrown from her mule and died here in 649 during the first Arab invasion of Cyprus. A place of pilgrimage for Muslims, the building did not actually become a site of veneration until the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571.
Archaeologists think that in ancient times the site was originally a temple to Artemis, founded where the important commodity of salt was manufactured.
Archaeologists think that in ancient times the site was originally a temple to Artemis, founded where the important commodity of salt was manufactured.
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