Muhammad Maarifi, a descendant of the prophet Muhammad, was born in Edirne (some say Egypt), and settled in Kartal during the late Ottoman period, where he founded the Maarifiyye Rifa'i Sufi order. When he died, a türbe (mausoleum) was built over his grave. The Maarifi order did not spread much outside of Istanbul, but there were at least two other Maarifi Tekke's, one in Kartal and another on the European side of the city.