Eyüp Mosque, named after the important islamic figure buried right next to it, is one of he most famous mosques of Istanbul. It is located in the Eyüp district of European side Istanbul. It is not one of the biggest, but definitely one of the most famous and maybe the highest regarded of Istanbul mosques.
Eyüp Mosque is the first mosque built by the Ottomans in Istanbul after its conquest.
Eyüp Sultan, or Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, is a close friend, companion and host of muslim prophet Mohammad. He hosted Prophet Mohammad for 7 months when he (Prophet Mohammad) came to Madina.
Abu Ayyub al-Ansari lived a long life. He lived long after Prophet Mohammad had passed away. In 669, at the age of around 95, he joined the military campaign to conquer Istanbul. He was very old at the time, but he wanted to be part of the army that would conquer Istanbul. But he died on the way, and his last wish was to be buried close to the walls of Istanbul. The Islamic army came very close to the city of Istanbul, but unsuccessful in conquering it. But they buried Ayyub al-Ansari there, very close to city walls.
A very long after, in the 15th century, long after his grave was forgotten and destroyed, Ottoman Turks conquered the city (taking it from the Byzantium Empire) under Mehmed the Conquerer. During the siege, Mehmed II’s personal teacher Akşemseddin discovered Ayyub al-Ansari’s grave (through visions). So they renovated the tomb and built the first mosque right next to it in his memory.
The mosque is still standing and in use today and the tomb is available for visiting. Even the long tree, claimed to be planted by Sultan Mehmed himself, is standing between the mosque and the tomb. It is probably the most visited mosque in Istanbul and continues to attract visitors. It is become a tradition for couples to visit it before the wedding ceremony and for little boys before their circumcition ceremony.
