Kefeli Mosque, Byzantine mosque in Fatih district, Istanbul, Turkey
The Kefeli Mosque is a brick building with a rectangular main hall divided by irregularly spaced arches and supported by a wooden roof. Inside, a semicircular apse with four smaller niches carved into the walls creates the prayer space.
The building originated as an Eastern Orthodox church in the 9th century and later housed Catholic and Armenian congregations before being converted to a mosque in 1630. These transitions reveal the complex religious history that shaped Istanbul.
The building served different religious communities over centuries before becoming a mosque, and its name refers to inhabitants from Caffa, a port city on the Black Sea who settled in this area.
The mosque is located in the Fatih district and is easily recognized by its distinctive brick construction. Keep in mind that this is an active place of worship, so visitors should dress respectfully and be prepared to follow local customs.
The building faces north, which breaks from typical Byzantine church design and suggests it may have originally functioned as a monastery refectory rather than a church. This unusual layout makes it a fascinating example of how religious spaces were repurposed over time.
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