First Prayer in Cyprus Mosque in 40 Years
The head of Religious Affairs in Northern Cyprus, Prof. Dr Talip Atalay, led prayers at the Kebir mosque and visited Muslim cemeteries in the city of Baf (Paphos) and its surroundings on the invitation of Greek Cypriot Archbishop Chrysostomos II.
After the prayers held at the Ottoman-era mosque, which was converted into a mosque by Mehmed Bey Ebu Bekir in the late 1500s, Dr. Atalay expressed his happiness, thanking the Turkish Cypriot Foreign Ministry - which arranged the visit - and the Swedish embassy for it mediating role, World Bulletin reported.
Dr. Atalay's visit marks the first visit of a Cyprus Mufti to Baf and its surroundings since the island of Cyprus was split in 1974 following an intervention from Turkey in response to a Greek-backed military coup on the Cypriot government.
Meetings between the religious leaders of Cyprus have become a regular opportunity to encourage dialogue between the two major religious groups on the island - Muslims and Christians - as the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot governments seek to resolve the Cyprus dispute.
