Bayraktar Mosque

This small mosque marks the spot where the Venetian walls were successfully breached by the Ottomans in 1570. The Ottoman bayraktar (standard bearer; after whom the mosque is named in Turkish) was promptly murdered by the defending forces, but his body was later recovered and buried here. Historically the mosque has been the target of terrorist activity; in the early 1960s, attacks inspired by EOKA (Ethniki Organosi tou Kypriakou Agona; National Organisation for the Cypriot Struggle) damaged the building. After repairs, the mosque was closed to the general public.