Description
The mosque gains its importance from the fact that it was built by the burial place of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Eyüp Ensari in Turkish), companion and the standard-bearer of Islamic Prophet Muhammed.
Eyüp Ensari fought in the first Arab siege of Constantinople in the 7th century and died during the war.
Following the conquest of the city by Mehmet the Conqueror, his teacher “Akşemseddin†had a dream about the burial place of Eyüp Ensari. Thus the tomb was found and the mosque was built right next to it in 1458.
The mosque was ruined by the 1766 earthquake and rebuilt in 1800. This was the mosque where the Ottoman Sultans were girded with the sword of Osman Bey (founder of the Ottomans) on their accesion to the throne.
The mosque complex which encompassed several “medrese“s (higher education institution), “hamam†(Turkish bath), public kitchen (which served food to the poor) was completed in 1458.
Only the “hamam†remains. The tomb is greatly venerated by the Muslims, attracting many pilgrims. Some of the personal belongings of the Prophet Muhammed are preserved in the tomb.
One of the most important mausoleums here belongs to Sokollu Mehmet Paşa. He served Sultan Süleyman the Magnificient for 14 years and was one of the most powerful grand vezirs –prime minister- of the empire era.
