Hamam Omerye Baths, Ottoman hammam in Nicosia, Cyprus.
Ömeriye Hamam is a stone-built Ottoman bathhouse in Nicosia, created in the 1570s by Lala Mustafa Pasha as part of the Ömeriye Mosque complex. Its main entrance door survives from the 14th-century Lusignan building on the site, and remains of a later Renaissance phase are visible on the north-eastern side.
Lala Mustafa Pasha created the hammam in the 1570s, soon after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, as part of the Ömeriye Mosque complex dedicated to Caliph Omar. The complex reused the 14th-century Augustinian church of St. Mary, damaged in the Ottoman siege; the main entrance door still belongs to that Lusignan building. In 2003 the EU funded a bi-communal UNDP/UNOPS restoration with Nicosia Municipality and the Nicosia Master Plan.
The name Ömeriye refers to Caliph Omar, on whose memory the mosque complex was founded; the bath served that complex. The building reuses the 14th-century Augustinian church of St. Mary, and its main entrance door still belongs to that Lusignan structure, while Renaissance remains are visible on the north-eastern side.
The facility sits on Tyllirias Square in the heart of the old town and is easy to reach on foot. Visitors should know that separate time slots apply for men and women, so it helps to check hours ahead of your visit.
The Europa Nostra prize came in 2006, two years after the 2002–2004 restoration carried out under the Lefkosia Master Plan with EU funding through a bi-communal UNDP/UNOPS project. The 14th-century Lusignan doorway of the main entrance survived the Ottoman artillery that destroyed most of the original building.
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