Turkish Cypriot inn in Mari to be restored

The historic but dilapidated Piale Pasha Hani (‘old Pasha’s inn’) in Larnaca is set to be restored, following approval of a request from the Mari community council.

“The inn will be restored and used by the community [and] will become a landmark for the area,” the administration noted.

The local authority announced a tender for the restoration with the deadline for submission ending on December 15. The cost of construction, slated to begin early next year, is estimated at €780,000.

Mari’s mukhtar, Maria Georgiou, said the works will last about a year.

“This is a Turkish Cypriot inn [which] today is in ruins [and] for 12 years we had set ourselves the goal of restoring it. It […] belongs to the history of Cyprus and needs to be restored,” Gregoriou said, noting the restored building would become a communal space.

The Piale Pasha inn, a typical example of Ottoman architecture, is located east of Mari, on the west bank of the Vassilikos river.