A street scene in the center of Nicosia near the Bazaar with Ayia Sophia-Selimiye Mosque in the background.

On the south side of the Selimiye Mosque-Ayia Sophia(Nicosia) is another interesting 14th century Gothic monument which is known as Bedesten. Bedesten is a Turkish word meaning "a covered market". It is so called because it was used as a market place for the sale of textiles during the Turkish rule. During the Venetian occupation it was the Orthodox Metropolis generally referred to as the Church of St. Nicholas. The north door (shown here) is an undamaged example of that period.