Description

Essentials about the Eyüp Sultan Mosque in brief

The Eyüp Sultan Mosque is located in the Eyüp district of Istanbul, at the northern end of the Golden Horn. It is a particularly holy place for Muslims and ranks fourth in the scale of importance behind Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.

The history of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque

The background to this is the mosque’s namesake, Abu Ayyub al-Ansaris (Turkish “Eyüp”). He was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and his standard-bearer. According to legend, Eyüp fell outside the gates of Constantinople during the first unsuccessful siege of the city by the Muslims in the years 674 to 678, and his tomb was recovered shortly after the Ottoman conquest. His tomb is now in the Eyüp Sultan Mosque.

The first mosque on this site was commissioned by Sultan Mehmed II five years after the conquest of Constantinople in 1458. The Şadırvan (Purification Fountain) located in the courtyard was built by Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha. Since the minarets were not high enough to place the mahya (the traditional lighting during Ramadan), Sultan Ahmed III had them demolished and higher ones built in 1723. The mosque was severely damaged during an earthquake in 1766. In 1798, Sultan Selim III ordered the mosque to be demolished except for the minarets in order to build a new mosque, which opened in 1800.

Website

Unavailable.

Opening hours

Admission fees

Free.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Bus lines 33ES, 55, 55T and 99A: Stop Eyüp Sultan

Ferry line Haliç Hatti – kiş: Stop Eyüp

By car:

The nearest parking lot is Eyüp Emniyet Hizmetleri Geliştirme Derneği.