The Hala Sultan Tekke mosque is located on the shore of the Salt Lake, near the international airport of Larnaca. This mosque is revered by Muslims all over the world. It was erected on the site of a woman`s grave, which is not typical of the Muslim tradition.
The Hala Sultan Tekke mosque is built on the site of the death of a pious Umm Haram woman. According to Muslim lore, Umm Haram was the closest relative of the prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
She was the wife of the Caliph Moawiyah, who in 649 began conquests for the spreading of Islam around the world. His army landed in Cyprus. His wife Umm Haram accompanied him on this trip. During the battle with the Byzantines on the shore of the Salt lake (or just during one of the crossings), Umm Haram fell off her mule and crashed. She was buried here, and this place eventually became very revered.
In the early 18th century, Cyprus became part of the Ottoman Empire. A marble headstone was placed over Umm Haram`s grave and a mausoleum was built. In 1760, the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque was built. Later, a fountain and Pasha`s Garden were built here. This is how a religious complex was formed, where many Muslims come, but services are held here only twice a year.
There are several opinions about the religious significance of the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque. Professor George Bowen from the University of Tennessee (USA) called this mosque the fourth most important in the Muslim world after the al-Haram mosque in Mecca, the mosque in Medina and the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. This statement is controversial and is not shared around the world. Anyhow, the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque is a very important Muslim Shrine.
