Islam in Cyprus

Islam in Cyprus was introduced when Uthman the 3rd Caliph conquered Cyprus in 649. Muslims were concentrated over whole area of Cyprus but after the 1974 events they are concentrated in Northern Cyprus.

Until 1974, Turkish Cypriots (the Muslim community of Cyprus) were the 18% of the island population. There are estimated 264,172 Muslims in Cyprus over 18% of the population.Several important Islamic shrines exist on the island including the Hala Sultan Teke/Um Haram Mosque in Larnaca and the Camii Semiliye and Camii Omeriye in Lefkosia/Lefkosa.

History

Most of the Turkish Muslim settled in Cyprus during the Ottoman rule 1571-1878. The Ottoman Empire gave timars--land grants--to soldiers under the condition that they and their families would stay there permanently. During the 17th century the Turkish population grew rapidly.