Muslims in Cyprus celebrate Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha, one of the two major festivals in the Muslim calendar, began on Wednesday, with Muslims across Cyprus partaking in the celebrations.

The festival, known as the Kurban Bayrami in Turkish, will last for four days, and began with prayers at mosques across the island at 6:09am on Wednesday. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar attended Eid prayers at the Hz. Ebu Bekir El Siddik mosque in northern Nicosia.

Traditionally, animals are slaughtered to mark the festival, with their meat eaten and shared between families, friends, and communities.

In addition, many Muslims make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca during Eid al-Adha. A total of 2.5 million Muslims made the pilgrimage this year. According to the Turkish Cypriot religious affairs directory, of those 2.5 million, 210 were Turkish Cypriots.