Antakya’da bulunan Habib-i Neccar Camii, Türkiye’nin en eski camisi olarak kabul ediliyor. Ancak Kahramanmaraş merkezli depremin ardından birçok tarihi yapı gibi tarihi cami de yıkılmış ve büyük hasar görmüştür. Cami, Anadolu’nun ilk camilerindendir. Havadan çekilen görüntüler caminin enkazını gösterirken, aynı bölgede bulunan tarihi Yeni Hamam depremde hasar gördü. 7. yüzyıla tarihlenen caminin avlusunda 19. yüzyılda yapılmış bir şadırvan bulunuyordu. Ancak depremin ardından tarihi caminin yıkıntıları ve hasar gören kısımlarına tanık olundu.
Habib-i Neccar Mosque is located on Kurtuluş Street in the old part of Antakya. The mosque and its minaret were damaged in other earthquakes that occurred in the region before and were repaired and renewed many times. However, after the last earthquake, the mosque and its minaret could not be saved this time. In the northeast corner of the mosque are the tombs of Habib-Neccar and Şem’un Safa. At the entrance, Mr. There are the tombs of John and Paul, the apostles of Jesus. There are madrasah rooms around the mosque.
History of Habib-i Neccar Mosque
Habib-i Neccar Mosque is the first mosque built in Anatolia. The mosque, which has a historical value, was built on a pagan temple from the Roman period and is the oldest mosque within the borders of the Republic of Turkey. The mosque was renovated during the Ottoman period and surrounded by madrasah rooms. There is a 19th century fountain in the courtyard. The entrance to the mosque is through a large pointed deaf arched crown door and a round arched door with an inscription in the middle. The minaret, located next to the mosque, has a rectangular base, polygonal body and wooden balcony, and has a shoe design. In addition, there are the tombs of Habib Neccar on the right of the minaret, and the tombs of Yahya (Barnabas) and Yunus (Pavlos) on the left.
The city of Antakya, which was conquered by Abu Ubeyde bin Cerrah, one of the commanders of the Islamic State’s leader Caliph Omar, in 636, was built on the site of the tomb of Habib-i Neccar and the two apostles of Jesus as the symbol of the conquest. However, the city, which was captured by the Crusaders in 1098, became the Principality of Antakya in 1099. Later, after the conquest of Mamluk Sultan Melik Zahir Baybars, the mosque was rebuilt. An inscription with the name of Baybars is located on the madrasah walls of the mosque. The mosque and its minaret were damaged and renovated many times due to earthquakes. However, most of it was destroyed during the successive earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitudes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023.
The Story of Habib-i Neccar
In the Qur’an, verses 13 to 32 of Surah Yasin describe the reaction of the people of a city to the envoys. In the surah, this people is called “ashâbul-karye” and at the center of the story is the support of this people by a third messenger, who denied the two envoys sent to them. Although the name of the city is not specified, commentators think that this city is Antakya and the person is Habib-i Neccar, based on the companions. Afterwards, it is told that a man who came from the farthest corner of the town and advised them to follow the ambassadors, was accused by the people and martyred. After this event, it is stated that Allah sent a punishment to the community.
There are similarities between the story of Habib-i Neccar and the role of Antakya in the history of Christianity. Both the event described in the Surah Yasin and the historical records indicate that Antakya was an important center for Christianity and that Hz. There is information that the teachings of Jesus began to spread here. The fact that the Apostles Yahya (Barnabas) and Yunus (Pavlos) were active here, and Şem’un-u Sefa (Petrus) came to Antakya later on, increased the importance of the city for Christianity.
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