Eyüp Sultan Mosque

The Eyüp Sultan Mosque is situated in the Eyüp district of Istanbul, outside the city walls near the Golden Horn. The present building dates from the beginning of the 19th century. The mosque complex includes a mausoleum marking the spot where Eyüp al-Ansari, the standard-bearer and friend of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, is said to have been buried.HistoryA mosque complex was constructed on the site in 1458 by the Ottoman Turks only five years after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. By the end of the 18th century the mosque was in a ruinous state, perhaps as a result of earthquake damage, and in 1798 sultan Selim III ordered the whole structure other than the minarets to be pulled down and rebuilt. This work was completed in 1800. The eastern minaret was rebuilt in the original style by Mahmud II in 1822.Eyüp Sultan is believed to have died during the first Arab siege of Constantinople in the 670s. His tomb is greatly venerated by Muslims. The mausoleum is on the north side of a courtyard opposite the main entrance to the prayer hall of the mosque.The mosque was the traditional site for the coronation ceremony of the Ottoman Sultans, where the new sultan was girded with the sword of Osman.