Prof. Dr. Safi ARPAGUŞ
President Religious Affairs
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Türkiye Diyanet Foundation

Born in 1967 in Gümüşhacıköy, Amasya, he pursued his early education at Gümüşhacıköy Imam Hatip High School, from which he graduated in 1985. He subsequently obtained his degree from Marmara University, Faculty of Theology, in 1990. In 1992, Arpaguş commenced his academic career as a research assistant at the same faculty. He received his master’s degree in 1994 and his Ph.D. in 2001, attaining the title of Associate Professor in 2008 and Professor in 2014.

He served as Vice Dean at Marmara University Faculty of Theology from 2011 to 2021. Following a Presidential Decree issued on October 15, 2021, in line with Article 38 of the Higher Education Law (No. 2547), he was appointed as Istanbul Mufti, a duty he fulfilled until 2025. On September 18, 2025, he became the 19th President of Religious Affairs by Presidential Decree.

Arpaguş’s scholarly research centers on the history of Islamic Sufism, its terminology, and institutional structures. His primary focus has been on Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, the Masnavi, and the Mevlevi order, with extensive publications including books, academic articles, and translations.

Among his major publications are:

• Mevlânâ and Islam

• Spiritual Education in Mevlevi Tradition

• Hüseyin Azmi Dede: Treatises

• Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi: Discourses

• Ahmed Avni Konuk, Commentary on the Mathnawī (Mesnevî-i Şerif Şerhi), Editorial Board, Vols. I–XIII

• Ismail Rüsûhî Ankaravî, Minhācu’l-Fuqarā (Path of the Dervishes)

• Tâhirü’l-Mevlevî: Sheikh Celaleddin Efendi, Postnişin of Yenikapı Mevlevihane