SUMMARY
ABSTRACTSelimiye Square, placed in the historical Selimiye neighborhood within the walled city of Nicosia, has become an important center, shaped with the architectural heritage of different cultures throughout the history of Cyprus. The creation of the square began with the building of the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Lusignan Period, at the beginning of the 1200s, and it developed as a religious center with the addition of St. Nicholas Church and the Archbishopric right after. Although not much development in the texture, a guest house built for travelers and pilgrims (The Venetian House) and the meeting place built for the priests of the cathedral (Chapter House), continued the process of creation of the square and the religious quality of the texture. During the Ottoman Period, which was an important era for the historical urban texture of Nicosia, Turkish Architecture, a new architectural style, was added to the surroundings of Selimiye Square. St. Sophia Cathedral was turned into a mosque with the addition of minarets, the Archbishopric and the building next to it were turned into Traditional Turkish Houses with alterations and additions, and St. Nicholas Church was turned into Bedesten (covered bazaar). With the addition of Sultan Mahmut Library and the Big and Small Medrese (madrasah), educational and business functions were added to the religious center; thus the creation of a historical environment and the boundaries of the square became clarified. The boundaries of the square were completed during the British Period with the construction of houses towards the west of the square and it gained the identity of a meeting place for the social activities of the city. During this period, the square was opened for vehicle traffic, and its texture, its religious and business center character were preserved. The periods of the Republic of Cyprus and the following Cyprus Turkish Administration years were a stagnant period for the creation and development of the square. During this period, the square was used as a place of ceremonies with the erection of the Fighters Monument in the east of the library. The buildings around the square underwent functional changes during the TRNC period, from 1983 to today, but the texture preserved its importance with its religious, educational, and business activities. With the new arrangements in 2001 within the scope of the pedestrianization project, an important meeting place was created for the social activities of the city. Thus, becoming an important center for the tourism and social life of the city with the mosque, cultural center, museum, folk arts atelier, restaurants, and bars, which all exist within this historical texture. ÖZLefkosa Suriçi’nde, tarihi Selimiye Mahallesi’nde yer alan Selimiye Meydani; Kibris’in tarihindeki farkli kültürlerin mimari miraslari ile biçimlenen önemli bir merkez olmustur. Lüzinyanlar Dönemine ait St. Sophia Katedrali’nin, 1200’lü yillarin basinda burada insa edilmesiyle baslayan meydan olusumu, hemen sonrasinda St. Nicholas Kilisesi ve Baspiskoposluk Binasinin eklenmesi ile buranin bir dini merkez olarak gelismesini yönlendirmistir. Venedikliler Döneminde, dokuda fazla bir gelisme olmamakla birlikte, seyyahlar ve hacilar için yapilan misafirhane binasi (Venedik Evi) ve katedralin rahipleri için yapilan toplanti binasi (Chapter House), dokunun dini merkez niteligi ile meydanin olusum sürecini devam ettirmistir. Lefkosa tarihi kent dokusunun gelisimi için önemli oldugundan, Selimiye Meydani için de bir degisim dönemi olan Osmanli Döneminde, Selimiye Meydani çevresine yeni bir mimari olan Türk Mimarisi kazandirilmistir. St. Sophia Katedrali, eklenen minarelerle camiye, Baspiskoposluk binasi ve yanindaki bina, tadilât ve ilâvelerle Geleneksel Türk Evi’ne, St. Nicholas Kilisesi de Bedesten’e dönüstürülmüstür. Sultan Mahmut Kütüphanesi ile Büyük ve Küçük Medrese binalarinin dokuya eklenmesiyle de dini merkeze egitim ve ticaret islevleri de katilimis; böylece tarihi çevre olusumu ve meydan sinirlari belirginlesmeye baslamistir. Ingiliz Döneminde, meydanin bati yönüne insa edilen konutlarla meydan sinirlari tamamlanmis ve kentin sosyal etkinlikleri için toplanma alani kimligini kazanmistir. Bu dönemde meydan, araç trafigine açilmis, çevre dokusu, dini ve egitim merkezi özelligini korumustur. Kibris Cumhuriyeti ve sonrasindaki Kibris Türk Yönetimi Dönemleri, meydan olusumu ve gelisimi için durgun bir dönem olmustur. Bu dönemde, kütüphanenin dogu tarafina insa edilen Mücahitler Aniti ile meydan, tören alani olarak da kullanilmistir. 1983 yilindan günümüze kadar olan KKTC Döneminde, meydan çevresindeki yapilar islev degistirmis, fakat doku yine dini, ticari ve egitim faaliyetleri ile önemini korumustur. Yayalastirma projesi kapsaminda 2001 yilinda meydanda yapilan yeni düzenleme ile kentin sosyal etkinlikleri için önemli bir bulusma alani olusturulmus, tarihi dokuda yer alan cami, kültür merkezi, müze, halk sanatlari atölyesi, lokanta, bar gibi islevlerle de kentin turizmi ve sosyal yasami için önemli bir merkez olarak yasam bulmustur.