North Cyprus Museums - Nicosia

The Mevlevi Tekke Museum

The building to the South of the Kyrenia Gate was constructed towards the end of the 16th century by Arap Ahmet Pasa after the conquest of the island by the Ottomans. The commander of the conquering army, Lala Mustafa Pasha, Arap Ahmet Pasha, and the first kadi and muftu of the island were members of the Mevlevi order (order of dervishes founded by Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi, called also the "whirling dervishes"). Inside the building, there are tombs and a semahane (dervish meeting-house for religious music and whirling).

North Cyprus Museums