After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was the first mosque built by the Ottoman Turks in Istanbul in 1458.
The Eyup Sultan Mosque is built near the Golden Horn Bay in the Eyup district of Istanbul. The most interesting thing is that after the conquest of Istanbul, this mosque was built outside the walls of Constantinople. Since the city is already occupied, why was the mosque built outside it? The history of this mosque began almost a thousand years ago before it was built.
In a hadith in the Qital-e Rome chapter of Sahih Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad states that the first commander and army that conquered Constantinople will enter Paradise. Based on this hadith, the commander Abu Ayyubal-Ansari, who supported the Prophet Muhammad after the hijra (migration) to Medina in 622, led his last military campaign to Constantinople.
However, Abu Ayyubal-Ansari was an old man, and soon after joining the battle he fell ill and had to withdraw. In his last words, he asked his soldiers to penetrate deep into enemy territory and bury him under the walls of Constantinople.” Then he died (in the 7th century AD).
During the final battle of Constantinople between the Ottoman Turks and the Eastern Romans, Sultan Mehmet’s spiritual teacher discovered the location of this important site through miraculous dreams.
Later, Fatih (the Conqueror) Sultan Mehmet ordered the construction of a mosque in front of this important tomb, and it then became the holiest place for Muslims since Ottoman Istanbul and attracted many pilgrims.
Some of the personal belongings of the Prophet Muhammad are preserved in the building that houses the tomb.
In Ottoman culture, it was also where the Ottoman sultans held their symbolic swords before leaving Istanbul for a campaign or battle. For the Ottomans, it was a matter of prestige to be buried near the tomb of Ayyubal Ansar.
Nowadays, it is a very popular attraction for tourists coming to Istanbul. In addition to Ayyubaal-Ansari’s tomb, there are also very old Ottoman graves and tombstones around the Eyup Sultan Mosque.
