The best things in Nicosia!

In 1960 Nicosia became the capital of the Republic of Cyprus, a state established by the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Nicosia is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of the island of Cyprus.

The best things to see in Nicosia:

Ledra Street

Ledra Street runs in a South to North direction and is about 1 km long.

There are a large variety of shops on Ledra Street, ranging from department stores selling luxury goods to small specialty shops selling arts and crafts. Ledra Street hosts the former tallest building in Nicosia, the Shacolas Tower, and is linked to three arcades that include shops and cafes. Dozens of firms from the international market are located on Ledra Street.

In April 2008 Ledra Street became the sixth crossing between the southern and northern parts of Cyprus.

Most of Ledra lies within the area effectively controlled by the Republic of Cyprus while a short stretch at the northern end between the UN buffer zone and the intersection with Arasta Street and Girne Caddesi falls within the Turkish part of Nicosia.

Agia Sophia Church

Agia Sophia temple was newly constructed and completed in 2008. Designed by architect Fano Loizidi, who won the architectural competition based on Agia Sophia in Constantinople.

The architecture is a beautiful representation of modern Byzantine Churches, it stands with its beautiful architecture in a prominent corner of 2 main streets Eleonon and Macedonitissis, It is beautifully colored; the main structure is off white stone embellished with red bricks frames and blue Domes. The two Bells Towers are fascinating and combining the tricolored Church structure. The courtyard is huge and includes many buildings for priests’ dorms and Church activities.

Buyuk Han (North Nicosia)

It is the largest caravansarai on the island of Cyprus and is considered to be one of the finest buildings on the island.

It became the first city prison under British administration. After spending most of the 1990s being restored, the inn has been revived as a thriving arts centre, consisting of several galleries and workshops. There are also several courtyard cafes and souvenir shops.

The inn has two floors and a more or less square shape. There are 68 rooms in both floors, with the ones at the ground floor being historically used for commerce and the ones at the first floor historically used for accommodation. The entrance to the inn is through two doors at the east and the west. The main door is located at the eastern side and opens to Asmaaltı Square. In the middle of the inner courtyard is a special type of masjid (a place of worship for Muslims).

Nicosia has many places to visit. Visit what you like and suggest me what to visit the next time.