Laleli Mosque, Nicosia

Tucked away in the Abdi Çavuş quarter of North Nicosia’s walled city, Laleli Mosque-literally “the Mosque with Tulips”-is a modest yet historically layered structure located on Ali Ruhi Street. Its poetic name is thought to refer to tulip motifs once adorning its now-lost original minaret.

Originally built as a small medieval chapel, the building’s ecclesiastical roots remain visible in its architecture. Following the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, it was converted into a small mescit (a mosque without a minaret). It was known in the 18th century as Laleli Cami-i Minareli Mescidi, reflecting the addition of a minaret and its evolving religious role.

A key moment in the mosque's history came in 1827 when Cyprus’s then-governor Ali Ruhi Efendi undertook a significant expansion. He added a new minaret, a minbar, a mihrab, a narthex, and a new ceiling, turning the mescit into a fully functioning mosque. On December 24, 1827, the structure was officially registered as part of the newly established Ali Ruhi Efendi Foundation, tasked with its upkeep.

The surrounding courtyard once hosted a primary school also founded by Ali Ruhi Efendi, though by 1893 it had fallen into disrepair. Renovation work was carried out by local builder Nikolaki Kalla, who added an arch to enlarge the space. In the 1930s, the site functioned briefly as a girls’ sewing school before vanishing from the urban fabric altogether. A marble inscription commemorating Ali Ruhi Efendi once affixed to the school, now resides in the Mevlevi Tekke Museum.

The mosque is set within a walled garden, entered through an arched gate. Its rectangular structure (12.85 x 3.30 meters) features a northern narthex with three pointed arches, leading to a prayer hall marked by an 1827 inscription honoring Ali Ruhi Efendi. The eastern apse reflects its chapel origins, while the mihrab bears floral motifs and a wooden women's section occupies the west side. In the garden stands a marble fountain built in 1826–27 by Ali Ruhi Efendi in memory of his mother.