Arakiyeci Hacı Cafer Çelebi Mosque

Audio Narration

Construction Year

1537-38

Location

Üsküdar, İstanbul

Ordered by

Mehmed Ağa

Architects

Unknown

Changes after its 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.
Prominent features
  • 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.
  • Â��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.