Hala Sultan Tekke

Hala Sultan Tekke or the Mosque of Umm Haram is a very prominent Muslim shrine near Larnaca, on the island of Cyprus. Umm Haram (Hala Sultan is the Turkish language name) was the Islamic prophet Muhammad’s ‘wet-nurse’ and the wife of Ubada bin al-Samid. Most accounts]

"It is the main Muslim pilgrimage site of Cyprus and the third most important holy place of Islam" is also the definition published by Cypriot administration's Department of Antiquities. [cite web
url = http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/DA/DA.nsf/All/18513FF955C9F917C225719900332619?OpenDocument
title = Monuments: Hala Sultan Tekke
accessdate = 2006-03-06
last =
first =
date = 2005
work =
publisher = Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Communications and Works; Department of Antiquities
quote = "The Muslim mosque of Hala Sultan is located in the center of a spectacular garden at the west bank of the Salt Lake, about 6 km southwest of Larnaca. It is the main Muslim pilgrimage site of Cyprus and the third most important holy place of Islam."]

Other sources state that the site is the most important one for Cypriot Muslims. [cite web
url = http://www.archaeometry.gr/oldv/symposium2003/pages_en/abstracts/papers/mortars/mortar8.htmOpenDocument
title = Study of building stones and mortar from Hala Sultan Tekke mosque
accessdate = 2007-06-19
last =
first =
date = May 16, 2003
work =
publisher = Hellenic Society for Archaeometry
quote = "Hala Sultan Tekke, near Larnaka, is a holy site in Islam and the most important one for Cypriot Muslims."]

According to the United Nations Peace Keeping force in Cyprus, Hala Sultan Tekke is not just the holiest Muslim shrine in Cyprus, it is one of the holiest shrines in the Islamic world, after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. [cite web | url = http://www.unficyp.org/Blue_beret/BB-06-June%202003.pdf | title = The Cultural Heritage of Cyprus: Part XIII. The Shrine of Hala Sultan Tekke | accessdate = 2006-03-06 | last = | first = | date = June, 2003
work = The Blue Beret. pg.5 | publisher = Public Information Office of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus | quote = "Not just the holiest Muslim shrine in Cyprus, Hala Sultan Tekke is one of the holiest shrines in the Islamic world, after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem."]

In Ottoman times, as aside above mentioned interventions at imperial level and by high-ranking administrators for the maintenance and the development of the complex, Ottoman-flagged ships also used to hang their flags at half mast when off the shores of Larnaca, and salute Hala Sultan with cannon shots [cite web | url = http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9&section=0&article=74998&d=25&m=12&y=2005 | title = Restored Mosque Brings Hope for Cyprus Ethnic Divide | accessdate = 2007-09-13 | last = Charalambous| first = Charlie | date = 20 December, 2005| publisher = Arab News ] .

The site in prehistory

During the second half of the second millennium B.C, the area of the Hala Sultan Tekke was used as a cemetery by the people who lived in a large town a few hundred metres to the West. A part of this town was excavated by a Swedish archaeological mission and proved to be a major urban centre of Late Bronze Age Cyprus. More recent archaeological investigations conducted by the Department of Antiquities under the women’s quarter of Hala Sultan Tekke have revealed building remains dated to the late Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods (6th - 1st c. B.C). Several finds indicate that the site might have been used as a sanctuary but the limited scale of the investigations precludes definite conclusions about its use.

ee also

* Holiest sites in Islam

References