Mosques with Cats Turkey: 10 Historical Places

Mosque and cat coexistence in Turkey is part of a cultural fabric that has been going on since the Ottoman Empire. A petite, shivering with cold in the street, glides through the courtyard; the imam does not close the door, the congregation smiles at the cotton ball wrapped around his feet. Here are 10 historical places in Turkey famous for their cats, each with a different story.

1Istanbul — Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli Cultural Center Mosque.

A place on the backs of Üsküdar, where three tabbies, which the community adopts as “mosque cats”, are constantly circulating. The Imam checks the food bowl every morning before the prayer. Tourists who see cats sleeping next to the pulpit during the sermon arrange a private visit to take photos. A volunteer on the premises keeps a schedule of vaccinations and neutering of cats; there have been no missing cases since 2024.

2Istanbul — Suleymaniye Mosque courtyard.

The courtyard of Mimar Sinan’s masterpiece is home to dozens of cats. Especially the chicken scraps brought by the tradesmen after the noon prayer are the meeting point. Foreign tourists take this view to Instagram under the label “Mosque cats of Süleymaniye”; special cat foods brought by Japanese visitors are frequently seen in the courtyard. A vivid detail added to the presence of the historical building.

3Eyüpsultan Mosque — Eyüp neighborhood.

At the top of the stairs to Pierre Loti lives a family of cats settled in the mosque courtyard. A yellow male cat he knows as “The Bead” from the neighborhood is the neighborhood mascot; he sits quietly in a corner even on the days of funeral prayers. Job collects money weekly and pays the veterinary expenses of the cats. A tradition ingrained in the soul of the neighborhood.

4Sultan Ahmet Mosque — Sultanahmet.

The inner courtyard of the world-famous Blue Mosque is home to 5-6 resident cats, although it is a tourist corridor. Officers put up warning signs to prevent visitors from hugging and removing cats, as there had been a spike in missing persons cases for a period of time. Water bowls, shaded corners and neutering records are now kept tidy in the courtyard.

5Bursa-Green Mosque.

In the early capital of the Ottoman Empire, the porch courtyard of the Yeşil Mosque is known as the warm corner of cats all year round. During the winter months, Bursa Municipality placed insulated cat huts in the backyard of the mosque. Imam Yusuf Hodja occasionally mentions “compassion for the animal” in his Friday sermon; cats are in a special place in the heart of the congregation.

6Edirne-Selimiye Mosque.

Selimiye’s outer courtyard, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, is home to around ten cats that are cared for by locals, especially in the summer. A group of volunteers from Edirne organize feedings and health checks every Saturday in the courtyard. The “Selimiye Cat Collective”, founded in 2025, has gained followers on social media; donations and food are bought.

7Konya — Mevlana Lodge and Selimiye Mosque.

The square between Selimiye Mosque and Mevlana Lodge is full of cats in the city of Mevlana’s “come, whatever you are, come again” call. The food and water left by the visitors is part of the square. Konya Metropolitan Municipality has been operating a cat health station in the square since 2023; approximately 80 cats are sterilized and vaccinated annually.

8Urfa-Halilürrahman Mosque and Balıklıgöl.

Halilürrahman Mosque next to Balıklıgöl, the sacred place of Şanlıurfa, is a kind of tranquil paradise for cats. In the place of the fire where Abraham was said to have been thrown, fish are now swimming; in the courtyard, cats are sunbathing. Tourists throw food to the fish and food to the cats; a sight that combines with the generous culture of Urfa.

9Diyarbakir — Grand Mosque.

Diyarbakır Grand Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia, houses cats in its Umayyad courtyard. Within the basalt stone walls, there are visitors who wake up to the morning call to prayer to see the cats licking and greeting the sunrise. Locals describe cats as “mosque keepers” – an iconic scene.

10Antalya — Yivli Minaret Mosque, Kaleiçi.

Yivli Minaret, which emerges from the narrow streets of Kaleiçi, is one of the symbols of Antalya. 7-8 cats living in the mosque courtyard are among the details that tourists take the most photos of. In the scorching summer of the Mediterranean, the marble floor of the courtyard is cool; cats lie there for hours. Kaleiçi tradesmen and mosque officials take responsibility for joint maintenance.

All things considered,

Seeing cats in mosques is a vivid example of Turkish culture’s practice of compassion. The Prophet’s interest in the cat Muezza is seen as the spiritual source of the migration of this tradition to Anatolia. If you encounter a cotton ball in a mosque; do not rush, stop for a moment. Maybe you just need to add a one-minute paragraph to the centuries-old story of that courtyard. If you want to get a stray cat that you own, the vaccination and sterilization step is the beginning of everything.