Around 1,000 pilgrims from the north will visit the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque in Larnaca on Wednesday on the occasion of Mawlid al-Nabi (Mevlid) the anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad.
The pilgrimage is being organised by the Turkish Cypriot Mufti, Dr Talip Atalay with the full support of Archbishop Chrysostomos II and with permission from Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides.
Hala Sultan Tekke will be closed to all other visitors during the special pilgrimage.
The first such pilgrimage took place in the summer of 2014 on the occasion of Ramazan Bayram (or Eid ul Fitr) following an agreement by the two leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities and supported by the Archbishop and the Mufti.
Since then three more such pilgrimages were organised, five in total, as agreed by the two religious leaders as part of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process under the Auspices of the Embassy of Sweden (RTCYPP) with the support of Kasoulides.
The religious leaders agreed to support and organise three such special pilgrimages to Hala Sultan annually for Eid Al Fitr (Ramazan Bayram) Eid Ul Adha (Qurban Bayram) and Mawlid ul- Nabi ( Mevlid) on dates mutually discussed and decided.
The special pilgrimages are facilitated by UNFICYP in cooperation with the Office of the RTCYPP that has also brokered these agreements.
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