Located on the Turkish part of Cyprus Selimiye mosque earlier that is not uncommon on this island, was a Christian Church Hagia Sophia. Its construction began in 1209, but because of the grandeur of the visions of the architects, who wanted to make it similar to the Gothic medieval cathedrals of France, the completion of the construction and consecration of the temple took place only in 1326. As expected, both inside and outside this building had a lush finish: it was decorated with statues, paintings, exquisite wall paintings, frescoes and bas-reliefs. But due to the fact that this territory was captured by the different peoples of the building and its interior has changed significantly, because each of the invaders had made some changes. Also, the building has experienced several major earthquakes, after which he was called up to serious repair.

With the coming to power of the Ottomans in 1570, of the Cathedral were rendered almost all the sculptures and works of art, and the tombstones were covered with carpets. There was only a statue of St. Sophia, which was moved to the street near the temple. In addition, on the West side of the temple were built two tall minarets.

Later, in 1954, the Church received a new name – Selimiye. The mosque was named in honor of the Turkish Sultan Selim II, who was one of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire, and participated in the capture of the island.

The Selimiye mosque is one of the main Muslim mosque Nicosia. Currently this building looks much more modest than before, but still amazes visitors with its grandeur and beauty.