The monument is located on the west bank of the Salt Lake and was erected over different phases, commencing from 1760 and completed in 1817. It is an important Islamic monument, one of the most revered sites in the Muslim world and it is used to this day for religious purposes. The mosque was built over the grave of Umm Haram or Ummü Haram, who was believed to be the sister of the Prophet Mohammed’s foster mother or a follower from Medina to Cyprus. Umm Haram arrived on the island either in 647 or 649, during the Arab raids led by the Arab Governor of Syria, Moawiya, in an effort to expand the Muslim empire in the Mediterranean Sea. However Umm Haram died shortly after her arrival and buried in the same place where she had fallen off her mule and died. Conservation works, aiming at preserving the monument, are being conducted by the Department of Antiquities on a systematic basis since 1967, involving the masonry, the wooden or other artistic elements.

Hala Sultan Tekke Larnaka - Audio Guide