RTCYPP News 14.8.19

16th Special Pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke

RTCYPP coordinated pilgrimage to HalaSultanTekke with 305 pilgrims took place on 13 August 2019 led by the Mufti of Cyprus Prof. Dr Talip Atalay on the occasion of Eid al-Adha/Qurban Bayram 2019.

Executive Director of the Office of RTCYPP who oversaw the crossings and pilgrimage thanked His Excellency the Mufti for the excellent organization and extended the greetings and best wishes of the Christian religious leaders of Cyprus, His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II, His Eminence Archbishop Khoren Doghramadjian, His Excellency Archbishop Youssef Soueif and the Reverend Father Jerzy Kraj.

This was the 16th Special Pilgrimage following an agreement within the framework of the RTCYPP between Archbishop Chrysostomos II and Mufti Atalay in 2014, which takes place three times a year to mark Eid al Fitr/Ramadan Bayram, Eid al Adha/Qurban Bayram and Mawlid al-Nabi/Mevlid. The pilgrimages bring together Turkish nationals, who otherwise can not cross the dividing line, to exercise their right to worship at the most significant mosque in Cyprus.

Office of RTCYPP is grateful for the facilitation provided by UN Police and UNFICYP Civil Affairs as well as the cooperation of the Cyprus Police, Turkish Cypriot police officers, the Department of Antiquities and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus.