Arap Mosque

Arap Camii
General view of the mosque building with its sadirvan on the right seen from the courtyard.
Basic information
Location	Istanbul
Affiliation	Sunni Islam
Year consecrated	end of 15th century
Architectural description
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Gothic
Groundbreaking	1323
Completed	1325
Minaret(s)	1

Arap Mosque (Turkish: Arap Camii, literally Arab Mosque) is a mosque in the Karaköy quarter of Istanbul, Turkey. The building was originally a Roman Catholic church erected in 1325 by the friars of the Dominican Order, near or above an earlier chapel dedicated to Saint Paul (Italian: San Paolo) in 1233. Although the structure was altered during the Ottoman period, it is the only example of medieval religious Gothic Architecture remaining in Istanbul.

The church was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans between 1475 and 1478, during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, and became known as the Galata Mosque. It was later given by Sultan Bayezid II to Muslim Arab refugees from Al-Andalus who escaped the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 and settled in the Galata neighborhood of Istanbul (hence its current name, Arab Mosque.)

The building lies in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district, in the neighborhood of Karaköy (medieval Galata), on Galata Mahkemesi Sokak, not far from the northern shores of the Golden Horn. It is surrounded by artisan shops.

During the 6th century, a Byzantine church, possibly dedicated to Saint Irene, was built here. Of this building, only part of a wall survives today.