on its top to symbolize Venetian dominance. It was also reported that the square was home to a Carmelite church during this period. Ottoman era In 1570, following the fall of Nicosia during the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, a last pocket of resistance continued in the palace, as the governor and his men kept fighting. The Ottoman commander, Lala Mustafa Pasha, called for the surrender of the palace, which the Venetians complied with. This was followed by the slaughter of the Venetiann governor and other members of the city elite. On 5 November 1764, another bloody incident happened in the square as the people of Cyprus attacked the palace to kill the governor Çil Osman Ağa and his 18 men for the higher taxes that they demanded. The Ottoman rule saw several developments in the square. The palace was modified again and kept being used as the governor's mansion. Information regarding the structure of the building at this time has been retrieved from contemporary land title archives and the accounts of A.L. Salvator, who visited the city in 1873. The mansion had two floors and a rectangular shape. After the gates, an arched gateway led to a yard surrounded by porticoes, where a well and a large tree used for executions could be found. In the upper floor, some rooms were reserved for the personal use of the governor, while some were used as his offices. The ground floor was used as further offices, a barn and the central prison. The palace extended to cover almost the half of the present-day square, while the Venetian Column was located at the yard of the Sarayönü Mosque, with a raspberry tree at its modern-day place. The old Latin Carmelite church was converted into the Sarayönü Mosque, also known as the Orduönü Masjid (). Its exterior displayed arched Gothic architecture, while its interior reflected classical Ottoman architecture. The Sarayönü madrasa, a cemetery, a bazaar, law courts, a fountain, coffeehouses, an arsenal, a military hospital, coffeehouses, a Turkish bath and the Ottoman qadi's residence were built during the Ottoman period in the square. However, as the city's population grew, the military facilities were relocated outside the city and houses with classical Ottoman architecture, featuring bay windows were built. Features Venetian column The Venetian Column, which was transported from the ruins of Salamis, stands at the square. The column is made of granite and it