Arpa Emini Masjid Is Being Revived

Arpa Emini Masjid, one of the important works of our cultural heritage, whose ruins have survived to the present day, is being revived by Fatih Municipality Cultural Heritage Conservation Directorate and passed on to future generations.

Located on the Bican Bağcıoğlu Slope of Topkapı Quarter, Arpa Emini Masjid was built in the first half of the 16th century by Mustafa Efendi, one of Horse-Attendants of the time. The masjid, which was destroyed in the earthquakes and fires at the end of the 19th century, remained neglected for a long time, and no work was done for its repair and revival. The duty of the Horse-Attendant, one of the four trustees in the Ottoman organizational structure, which started to be mentioned as a title in the records as of the 16th century, was to provide the grass and barley for the animals used as mounts in the palace stables, and to meet the food needs of the horses on the expedition. Until 2008, when the quarters were merged, it was also known as Arpa Emini Masjid, Emin-i Cev and Arpacı Masjid. It is understood from the archive documents that it belongs to Emin-i Cev Mehmed Efendi Masjid-i Sharif Foundation. Survey, restitution and reconstruction projects were prepared by our Municipality for the restoration of the masjid and approved by the Conservation Board in 2021. After the approval of the projects, the restoration process was started immediately in December of the previous year. Within the scope of the restoration works, all the boundaries of the main walls of the masjid were revealed during the excavations carried out under the supervision of the Directorate of Istanbul Archaeological Museum. When the wall remains were analysed, it was observed that it was a rubble stone wall with double row brick beams. In addition, data on window sizes, wall thicknesses, foundation dimensions and floor elevation were obtained.
Work is ongoing to restore the mosque using its original materials and construction techniques.