Eyup Sultan Mosque is located in Eyup in Istanbul and sees the Bosphorus from the Haliç coast. This construct is not just a mosque, it also is a sanctuary which hosts a lot of visitors. In this mosque, there are many graves, tombs and sarcophagus It has an awesome atmosphere thanks to cypresses and graveyards around it.
In this mosque, there are so many graves such as Necip Fazıl, Fevzi Çakmak, Ferhat Paşa, Mehmet Paşa, Siyavuş Paşa, Beşir Fuad, Ahmed Haşim, Ziya Osman Saba, Sokullu Mehmet Paşa’s.
This mosque which has importance in Ottoman Period became a place that Sultans gird themselves with a sword for centuries after Mehmed the Conqueror. So you can add Eyup Sultan Mosque which has a holy place from the beginning at your list.
Who Is Eyup Sultan?
He is one of the biggest companions of prophet Muhammad and his real name is Ebu Eyyub El-Ensari but known as Eyup Sultan.
Eyup Sultan is the first person that hosted prophet Muhammad at his house when Muhammad migrated to Medina from Mecca. After this case, He was called as also Mihmadar-ı Nebevi or Mihamandar-ı Resul and he was martyred when he was 90’s during the Second Siege of Constantinople.
Rumour has it that he was buried at Istanbul’s walls at the request of him. After the conquest, Akşamsettin found his grave. Now, it has a tomb in the name of him and Eyup Sultan Mosque.
Information About Eyup Sultan Mosque
The first name that gird himself with a sword at this mosque was Mehmed the Conqueror. And many Sultans also continued this tradition by getting on the boat from Sinan Paşa’s Villa then praying at Bostan Pier.
Eyup Sultan Mosque is rectangular-shaped and has a sticking out mihrab. Its center reclines dome-bottom column and two elephant’s foots. In its around, there is a half-dome; there is Eyup Sultan tomb midway and in the midst of backyard, there is an old plane tree.
The mosque exprerinced many restorations. The first minarets which was made are short-lenght. In 1733, it started to build taller minarets.These tall minarets needed to repair, too because they were damaged as a result of a stroke of lightning.
Eyup Sultan Mosque was a sanctuary that people paid regard the poors in it. In this cultivation which located around Eyup Sultan Mosque and builded by order or Sultan Mehmed, The Chefs were cooking meals twice a day. While the chefs were cooking rice and wheat meals at normal days, In Ramadan, the meal in the menus was meaty meals. On special days, fridays or kandils, saffron and rice desert, zerbaç and pilaff were offered.
In front of Mosque’s door, there was Sinan Paşa’s Villa. Later, this villa was destroyed in 1798. A giant plane tree and a barred set replaced it. There are fountains around this fencing. And, there are Mevlevi coins on this fencings. This is because Sultan III. Selim was mevlevi who opened to worship this mosque after its alteration.
There are two gates which was opened to the street from the backyard in this mosque. The inner court consists of 12 column and 13 domes. In the midst of backyard, there is a water-tank with a fountain. The tomb has one dome and 8 corners.
You can see a public fountain at the outer court of the mosque. This public fountain has 3 windows and its called sherbet place because its served sherbet on feasts and special days there.
The Story Of Eyup Sultan Mosque
The plane tree in Eyup Sultan Mosque has a story. According to this story, Eyüp Sultan was martyred during the Omayyad’s siege. And he was buried near by the walls at the request of him. Because the war influence everyone negatively, Mehmet the conqueror thought that finding Eyup Sultan’s grave was a motivation for janizaries. So, he discussed with his master Akşamseddin about this issue. After this discussion, Akşamseddin had a dream.
He took action and saw a light around Eyup Sultan. At this time, he asked a sheepman who was feeding his sheep. The sheepman said that he never fed his sheep in this place. He understood that Eyup Sultan’s grave was located there. He said it to the Sultan after he had someone sew 2 plane trees at his head and toe in order to make sure this grave place. When the Sultan learned it, he called Silahtarağa to make sure whether it was an insight or not.
He asked to uproot the plane trees and burry his own ring at this marked area. On the next-day, he went to the area with high state officials and Akşamseddin then asked to show again the grave place. Akşamseddin did not consider the displaced plane trees and insisted on the area that he showed first.
When they asked to him whether he was sure or not, he answered in that way : ‘Sure, there is a ring and this area has a grave under 12 meters now there.’
The Sultan believed him and wanted to replace these plane trees. Akşamseddin said that these trees should remain there because it was a holy place too. One of these plane trees is the tree that Evliya Çelebi mentioned in his travel book and it is located at the outer court of the mosque. Rumour has it that the other one was uprooted in 1915.
Visiting Times Of Eyup Sultan Tomb
You can see this tomb between 09:30 am and 04:00 pm.
*These hours have been updated in 2017
Contact Information For Eyup Sultan Mosque
Address info: Eyüp Center. Mosque Kebir street. Eyüp/Istanbul
Telephone: (0212) 564 73 68
Transportation Information
You can reach this mosque by getting off at Eyüp Sultan avenue with these buses: 39 Akşamseddin Mahallesi-Yenikapı, 39B İmar Blokları-Vezneciler, 39D Yeşilpınar-Yenikapı, 39O Yeşilpınar-Otogar, 39Y Yeşipınar-Vezneciler, 39Ç Hamidiye Mahallesi-Aksaray, 48A Göktürk-Kazlıçeşme, 55EY Eyüp Üçşehitler-Aksaray, 86V Eyüpsultan-Vezneciler, 94Y Yeşilpınar-Bakırköy.
If you want to go there with your own car, you can use the Eyüp exit while going to Gaziosmanpaşa direction from Edirnekapı and follow the destination boards.
You can get off on Bayrampaşa metro station by using Yenikapı-Atatürk or Kirazlı-Yenikapı metro routes and you can reach this mosque by walking about 15 minutes.
