Changes After Construction
The first construction was done in 944 AH (1537-38) by a philanthropist named MehmedAgha.
It was renovated by Arakiyeci Hacı Cafer Çelebi in 1605 (1012 AH).
In the 1760s, it was converted from a masjid into a mosque by Seyyid Mehmed EminAğa, who added a minbar.
In 1996, annexes were built with donations from philanthropists, and the stone minaret was demolished in the meantime.
It underwent extensive restoration and was opened for worship in 2018.
It is recorded that during the reign of Mahmud II (1251/1835) it was repaired “as if it were being rebuilt”, a minbar was installed and its foundation was completed.
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It is a small temple, built of two floors, with a concrete mat roof.
The wooden narthex is placed on four masonry walls.
Its single-balcony, stone-bodied minaret was later plastered with cement and its balcony was surrounded by iron railings.
The minbar and the preacher’s pulpit are made of wood; the interior of the building is plain and functional.
There are three ablution taps in the courtyard, from which water is drawn by a pump.
The tomb of Arakiyeci Hacı Cafer Çelebi, one of its founders, is in the mosque courtyard and has an inscription dated 1603.
During the initial construction and repair processes of the mosque, different people (such as Nefise Hatun and Seyyid Mehmed Emin Ağa) contributed to the development of the structure by adding a minbar or organizing the foundation revenues.
Opposite it is the “Abbas Ağa Fountain”, built in 1669.
“Arakiyye” is a type of felt fabric prepared by hand-beating sheep or camel wool; Cafer Çelebi, who renovated the mosque, was known as “Arakiyeci” because he was engaged in this work.
The reason why the mosque is called Divitçiler Mosque and Takkeci Mosque is related to the handicrafts (inkwell makers, skullcap makers) activities in the region.
