Hala Sultan Tekke, Larnaca (must see)

Hala Sultan Tekke, also known as the Mosque of Umm Haram, is a complex with a mosque, mausoleum, minaret, cemetery and living quarters. It was named for the wife of Ubada bin al-Samit, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Her Arabic name was Umm Haram, which translates in Turkish to Hala Sultan.

Hala Sultan Tekke was built on the west bank of Larnaca Salt Lake. There is some dispute about how the complex came to be. Some say that Sheikh Hasan discovered the tomb of Hala Sultan in the 18th century. He built a shrine around the tomb in 1760. The complex was then built in stages around Hala Sultan's shrine.

Another story is that the complex was built by Cypriot governor Ali Agha. It is said this governor used stones of a destroyed church to build the mosque and its surrounding buildings in 1760. Yet another tale states that Cypriot governor Seyyid Mehmed Emin Efendi was the builder of the complex in 1817.

The complex as it stands today is open to all visitors. Though historically Muslim, the complex is now open to people from all religions.