Sultan Eyup Mosque in Istanbul and the history of its construction

Eyup Sultan is considered one of the most important historical areas in Istanbul in its European section, and it is located on a large area extending from the Golden Horn to the Black Sea shore.
This area is characterised by the ancient Ottoman design of its streets and most of its buildings, in addition to containing many important tourist places in the city of Istanbul. It was called Eyup Sultan due to the presence of the tomb and the mosque of the Sultan or the companion Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari in it.

Historical overview

A great companion whose name is engraved in history and hearts, the host of the Messenger of the Muslims (PBUH) and the first step in the path to the conquest of Constantinople, lies there.
For him, the first mosques of the Ottoman Empire was built, and in it Istanbul imitated its first sultans Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari Mosque “Eyup Sultan”
The Eyup Sultan Mosque is the first and oldest of the great Ottoman mosques in Istanbul and the only one outside the ancient wall of Constantinople
It was built in 1458 AD immediately after the Ottomans seized Constantinople, near the tomb of the great companion “Abu Ayyub al-Ansari” (may God be pleased with him), where the Ottoman army searched for it immediately after the capture of the city and from it the mosque and the surrounding area took its name and in appreciation of the status of this companion, the Ottomans called him “Sultan Eyup.”

It is mentioned that the Companion Abu Ayyub al-Ansari died in the first attempt of Muslims to enter Constantinople, in the seventh century AD. Therefore, he was buried according to his will inside the wall, and the Byzantines and their kings respected and preserved his shrine.

This mosque, in relation to the tomb of the Prophet (peace be upon him), had a great place in the Ottoman culture, so they chose it as a centre for holding the ceremonies of handing over power to the sultans, and it still enjoys today a spiritual and religious status among the Turks in general.

The architecture of the Sultan Eyup Mosque

The mosque was built in the old Ottoman style with its domes and high pointed minarets and includes a college, a Turkish bath and a restaurant for the poor, and the movement to it is very active, as residents and most Muslims consider it the fourth Islamic holy place after Mecca, Medina and Al-Quds Al-Sharif
As for the courtyard of the mosque, in the middle is an old perennial tree that no one has touched, and they were satisfied with building a wall around it, because the narrations say that it has been in this place since the death of the Companion and his burial there.
Along the square, the fountains of blessed water distributed ongoing charity to Abu Ayyub (may God be pleased with him).
The square is generally filled with marble fountains, while inside the mosque, it was decorated with Ottoman Islamic inscriptions in addition to some Roman inscriptions

Today, the Sultan Eyup Mosque is located in the European section of Istanbul, outside the old city wall in the Sultan Eyup district on the coast of the Gulf of the Golden Horn