Habib-i Neccar Mosque, Antakya

Overview

On Kurtuluş Caddesi, at the corner of Kemalpaşa Caddesi, the Habib-i Neccar Mosque stands at the center of old Antakya. Below its prayer hall lie the tombs that give the mosque its name.

The Story of the Habib-i Neccar Mosque

The mosque takes its name from Habib, a carpenter (neccar) of Antioch. Tradition has it that he followed the teaching of the apostles in the 40s AD, and an angry crowd killed him; his story is linked to Surah Yasin of the Quran. The mosque was built in 638, when Muslim Arabs took Antioch.

Who Was Habib the Carpenter?

Surah Yasin, the 36th chapter of the Quran, tells of a city that rejected the messengers sent to it. Then a man came running from the farthest end of the city. He urged his people to follow the messengers, since they asked for no payment. Tradition holds that this man was Habib the carpenter of Antioch. So the mosque, his tomb below it and the mountain above the city all carry his name.

Today that mountain, Habib-i Neccar Dağı, still rises over the old town. Also, the Church of St. Peter lies near it, on the road to Reyhanlı, about 2 km (1.2 miles) from the center. So the mosque and the cave church make an easy pair.

So the two stories meet on this mountain. Tradition holds that Habib followed the teaching of the apostles, while in the cave church nearby, by tradition, St. Peter first preached and the community first took the name Christian. Then, after your visit, walk along Kurtuluş Caddesi, where work on a new street design was nearing completion in February 2026.

What to See

The tombs of Habib-i Neccar and Şem’un Safa lie about 4 m below ground in the northeast corner. The tombs of Yuhanna and Pavlos are near the entrance. Madrasa rooms surround the courtyard, and the fountain in the middle dates from the 19th century.

After the 2023 Earthquakes

The earthquakes of February 6, 2023 damaged the mosque. The restorers lightened the dome by 1,400 tons, and the mosque reopened for worship after a ceremony on December 27, 2025.

How to Visit the Habib-i Neccar Mosque

The mosque is in the center of Antakya. Combine it with the St. Pierre Church and the Hatay Archaeology Museum, and end with künefe. We add the Habib-i Neccar Mosque to your walk through Antakya.

Would you like to see Antakya and its surroundings with a guide who follows how the city is rebuilding? Send us your dates, and we will see which parts of the old city can be visited that week, then add a long lunch of Hatay cooking. See our day tour of Antakya, our drivers and our Hatay guide.