On our second full day in Cyprus, we explored some of the most important religious sites that the island has to offer, and ended the afternoon with a great time on the beautiful beach in Lanarca Bay.
After an hour long bus ride, we arrived at the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque, containing the tomb of Prophet Mohammed’s acquaintance Umma Haram. The mosque was smaller, and contained a downstairs area for men to pray, and then a separate area upstairs for women, something I did not know was customary in the Islamic religion. The isolation of the mosque and the ancient architecture made it very nice to look at from the outside and it was great to learn about the importance it holds for the Turkish Cypriots who mostly are Muslim.
Afterwards, we went to the St. Lazarus Church in the downtown area of Lanarca. This church is a massive Greek Orthodox church, with extremely interesting architecture that dates back to its’ formation under the Byzantine Empire. Inside, there was tons of artwork depicting Jesus and other key figures of Christianity, with a downstairs area containing some tombs and we got to pass by the altar which was lit with candles and was surrounded by stained glass and paintings. The church was probably the most beautiful thing that I have seen in the country so far.
Finally, we ended our time in Lanarca at the beach. It was great to dive into the crystal clear, blue waters of the Mediterranean, something that I do not see very often as somebody who lives on the Jersey Shore. We ate lunch, checked out a few souvenir shops, and ended our afternoon by laying in the sun. This was a great relaxing end to a busy second day here in Cyprus.