Arap Mosque
A Historic Mosque in Istanbul
Arap Mosque is a historic mosque located in the Galata neighborhood of Beyoğlu, Istanbul. The historic building, which was the San (Saint) Paolo Church before the conquest of Istanbul, was converted into a mosque after the conquest.
It also stands out for being the first place where the call to prayer was raised in Istanbul. Arap Mosque, which is the only Gothic church in Istanbul that remains from before the conquest, also has a legend associated with it. According to this legend, a commander named Mesleme bin Abdülmelik, who was one of the Muslim Arab commanders who came for the conquest of Istanbul in 717, built a mosque and named it Arap Mosque.
On August 15, 717, in the month of Dhul Hijjah of the 95th year of the Hijri calendar, Mesleme bin Abdülmelik besieged Byzantium both by land and sea, but Constantinople could not be taken. However, Galata was captured. As a result of an agreement reached between Arab commander Mesleme and Emperor Leon, the Arap Mosque was built for the worship of the Arab Muslim Army. After that, the Arab army left Constantinople due to an uprising in Damascus, and this place was converted into a church.
After the conquest of Istanbul, the church was converted back into a mosque by adding the mihrab and minbar in front, and it was again named Arap Mescidi in Ottoman records.