The smaller of the 2 traditional mosques of the city, the Jedit Mosque, or the New Mosque, occupies a prominent position in the historical center of Limassol. The distinctiveness of the mosque is attributed to both its long history and its location, just a few meters from the church of Agios Antonios.
The position of the Jedit Mosque - on the bank of Garylli River, at the west end of Agkyras Street - is the point where it was originally built at the last years of the Ottoman domination. At that time, the Jedit Mosque area was one of the most important Turkish Cypriot districts of Limassol, which was full of life, including coffee shops, warehouses and houses.The temple was built in 1825 AD when Turk Hadji Ibrahim Aga, or Koprulu, promised to build a mosque in the area, if he returned safely from the battle of Akra in Palestine. Koprulu, fighting alongside the Ottoman army and returning safely back to Cyprus, kept his promise and built the temple.
In addition to the mosque, Koprulu built at his own expense a wooden bridge, which linked the mosque to Agkyras Street, with the following street, in which all the members of his family was living. When Ibrahim Aga passed away, his tomb was built in the yard next to the mosque, which still remains at the same place.
In 1894 AD, the great natural distasters that hit Limassol, led to the flood of the Garylli River that carried the bridge away and destroyed the mosque.For many years, the mosque remained damaged, until 1909 AD, when the negotiations of the administrators (members of the Koprulu family), Evkaf (institution responsible for the administration of all property belonging to mosques and Muslim cemeteries) and the assistance of Constantinople, the mosque was rebuilt in the original location.
Today, the mosque is still standing at the same place where its history began. A few meters away is the church of Agios Antonios, which was built around 1830 AD. These 2 religious buildings remain one of the most important examples of the coexistence of the 2 communities, as well as a proof of the common life that Greek and Turkish Cypriots used to share.
Sources: Limassol Municipality, “Echoes From The Past” (2008)
Photos: Pattichion Municipal Museum - Historical Archive - Limassol Study Center
