Arap Mosque

Coordinates: 41°01′27.552″N 28°58′15.744″E / 41.02432000°N 28.97104000°E / 41.02432000; 28.97104000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Arap Camii
Year consecrated
end of 15th century
Location
LocationIstanbul
Arap Mosque is located in Istanbul Fatih
Arap Mosque
Location in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul
Geographic coordinates41°01′27.552″N 28°58′15.744″E / 41.02432000°N 28.97104000°E / 41.02432000; 28.97104000
Architecture
TypeChurch
StyleGothic
Groundbreaking1323
Completed1325
Minaret(s)1

Arap Mosque (

Roman Catholic church erected in 1325 by the friars of the Dominican Order, near or above an earlier chapel dedicated to Saint Paul (Italian: San Paolo) in 1233.[1] Although the structure was altered during the Ottoman period, it is the only example of medieval religious Gothic architecture
remaining in Istanbul.

The church was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans between 1475 and 1478, during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, and became known as the Galata Mosque. It was later given by Sultan Bayezid II to Muslim refugees from Al-Andalus who escaped the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 and settled in the Galata neighborhood of Istanbul (hence its current name, Arab Mosque).

Location

The building lies in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district, in the neighborhood of Karaköy (medieval Galata), on Galata Mahkemesi Sokak, not far from the northern shores of the Golden Horn. It is surrounded by artisan shops.

History

Byzantine period

During the 6th century, a

Byzantine church, possibly dedicated to Saint Irene, was built here.[1] Of this building, only part of a wall survives today.[1]

The tradition which affirms that a mosque was built on this site during the

Umayyad prince and general Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik is a later, Ottoman-era legend.[1][2] The Ottoman chroniclers describe the spot as the burial place of Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, hence the alleged tomb and mosque,[3] but they confused the second Arab siege with the first Arab siege a generation before, and placed the construction of the mosque to around 686.[1][4][5][6]

In 1233, during the Latin Empire of Constantinople (1204–1261) founded after the Fourth Crusade, this church was replaced with a small chapel, dedicated to Saint Paul (San Paolo).[7]

In 1299, the Dominican

Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos moved the Dominicans of Constantinople to the Genoese-held suburb of Pera.[1]

A new, much larger church was built near or above the chapel of San Paolo in 1325.[9] Thereafter the church was officially dedicated to San Domenico,[2] but local residents continued to use the ancient denomination.[10] In 1407 Pope Gregory XII, in order to ensure the maintenance of the church, conceded indulgences to the visitors of the monastery of San Paolo.[11]

Ottoman period

After the

Caffa.[11]

Towards the end of the century Sultan Bayezid II assigned the building to the Muslim of Spain (Moriscos) who had fled the Spanish Inquisition and migrated to Istanbul; hence the present name Arap Camii (Arab Mosque).[1][10] Sultan Mehmed III repaired the building, and towards the end of seventeenth century the houses which encroached upon the mosque were pulled down in order to avoid noise.[13]

After the 1731

şadirvan (fountain for ritual ablutions before praying) in the courtyard.[2]

Between 1913 and 1919,

Istanbul Archaeology Museum.[13][15]

At the beginning of the 2010s, the mosque underwent an extensive restoration, which was finished in 2013. An inaccurate inscription that the mosque was founded in 715 AD was also installed in front of the mosque as part of the restoration.

Description

Erected according to the model of the Italian mendicant order churches of that period,[1] the church had a three-nave rectangular base, with squared-off eastern end and a square sanctuary which is covered by ribbed groin vaults.[2]

The Gothic-style portal, lancet windows and the prominent bell tower (which has been transformed into a minaret by the addition of a conical roof) distinguished the building from the Byzantine churches in the city. On the other side, the technique used for the brickwork was local, and alternated small courses of bricks and ashlar.[1]

The NE nave was possibly flanked by a series of chapels, each of them belonging to a noble Genoese family. One of them was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and another to Saint Nicholas.[13] As a whole, the building resembled the churches of Chieri and Finale Ligure in Italy.[16]

The flat wooden roof and rather pretty wooden galleries date from the restoration in 1913-1919. On this occasion, the height of the building was lowered, and many Genoese headstones were found.[13] During the same restorations, rests of paintings were also discovered near the Mihrab, but were covered again.[2]

In the passage under the belfry, moldings are still visible, as well as fragments of stones with armorial bearings which were once placed along the wall.[16] On the north side of the building there is a large and attractive courtyard with a şadırvan.

Today, Arap Camii is the largest mosque on the Galata side of the Golden Horn. It is one of the most interesting mosques in the city due to its early Italian Gothic architectural style and church belfry, which has practically remained unaltered even after being converted into a minaret.

  • Heraldic lion sculpture
    Heraldic lion sculpture
  • Inscription placed in front of the building in 2013, which records the mosque's legendary foundation by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik (erroneously put in 715 AD) as its actual foundation date
    Inscription placed in front of the building in 2013, which records the mosque's legendary foundation by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik (erroneously put in 715 AD) as its actual foundation date
  • View of the minaret, originally the belfry
    View of the minaret, originally the belfry
  • Another view of the minaret through the courtyard
    Another view of the minaret through the courtyard
  • Interior of the mosque
    Interior of the mosque
  • The mihrab
    The mihrab

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Müller-Wiener (1977), p. 79
  2. ^ a b c d e Eyice (1955), p. 102
  3. ^ Graves of Sahaba - Istanbul
  4. ^ Canard (1926), p. 99
  5. ^ Hasluck (1929), pp 718–720
  6. ^ Mordtmann (1986), p. 533
  7. ^ This date comes from a tombstone found in San Domenico (the only one anterior to 1325), and almost certainly brought here from the Chapel of San Paolo. Janin (1953), p. 599
  8. ^ This was the lowest number of friars necessary to establish a regular monastery of the Order. Janin (1953), p. 599
  9. ^ This date comes from several contemporary documents and from dates inscribed on tombstones. Müller-Wiener (1977), p. 79
  10. ^ a b Janin (1953), p. 599
  11. ^ a b Janin (1953), p. 600
  12. ^ The Sultan required only the delivery of the bells. Mamboury (1953), p. 319
  13. ^ a b c d e f Müller-Wiener (1977), p. 80
  14. ^ She also built the nearby Azapkapısı Fountain. Gülersoy (1976), p. 267
  15. ^ Mamboury (1953), p. 320
  16. ^ a b Mamboury (1953), p. 319

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arap Mosque.
  • ISSN 0021-762X
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  • Janin, Raymond (1953). La Géographie Ecclésiastique de l'Empire Byzantin. 1. Part: Le Siège de Constantinople et le Patriarcat Oecuménique. 3rd Vol. : Les Églises et les Monastères (in French). Paris: Institut Français d'Etudes Byzantines.
  • Eyice, Semavi (1955). Istanbul. Petite Guide a travers les Monuments Byzantins et Turcs (in French). Istanbul: Istanbul Matbaası.
  • OCLC 3849706
    .
  • Hasluck, F. W. (1929). "LVII. The Mosques of the Arabs in Constantinople". Christianity and Islam Under the Sultans, Volume 2. Oxford, United Kingdom: Clarendon Press. pp. 717–735.
  • Mamboury, Ernest (1953). The Tourists' Istanbul. Istanbul: Çituri Biraderler Basımevi.
  • Mordtmann, J. H. (1986). "(al-)Ḳusṭanṭīniyya". The Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden and New York: BRILL. pp. 532–534.
    ISBN 90-04-07819-3
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  • ISBN 978-3-8030-1022-3
    .
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