Last updated on .
The Arab Mosque (Arap Camii) is one of the most interesting mosques in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located in the Karaköy neighborhood.
History of the Arab Mosque
The Arab Mosque dates back to the old Genoese colony of Galata. It was built by Dominican friars as the Church of San Domenico between 1323 and 1325. It sits on the site of a 6th century Byzantine church, possibly dedicated to Saint Irene.
After the Fall of Constantinople, sometime between 1475 and 1478, it was turned into a mosque by Mehmed the Conqueror. It was known as the Great Mosque (Cami-i Kebir) or the Galata Mosque (Galata Camii). The friars later founded the Church of SS Peter and Paul up the hill. The Arab Mosque is the only Roman Catholic church in the city to be converted into a mosque.
During the Spanish Inquisition, Bayezid II assigned the mosque to Muslims fleeing Spain. This gave it its present name, the Arab Mosque. The building has been renovated several times over the years. The most notable changes are the windows, which were converted from a Gothic to an Ottoman style, and the conversion of the bell tower to a minaret.
During a renovation between 1913 and 1919, several Genoese tombstones dating from the beginning of the 14th to the middle of the 15th centuries were discovered. They were taken to the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
Courtyard
On the north side of the building is a large courtyard. The ablutions fountain (şadirvan) was built in 1868 by Adile Sultan, the daughter of Mahmud II.
Unfortunately, the panel next to the entrance falsely indicates that the mosque was originally built by Umayyad prince Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik during the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople in 717-718. This is an Ottoman legend. It’s irresponsible and misleading to visitors to display this false history.
Bell Tower / Minaret
The shape of the bell tower has remained largely unchanged since the building was converted to a mosque. In the passage underneath, there are fragments of stones with coats of arms dating back to the 14th century.
