Visiting Eyup district of Istanbul will take you straight to the Eyup Sultan Mosque. This mosque is considered one of the holiest and the most sacred places in Istanbul, but also in the whole Muslim world. Muslim people from different countries often visit this place and the mosque is highly respected. On the scale where we compare the level of the sacredness of Muslim’s holy places, it enjoys the fourth place in the Muslim world, just after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
The mosque was the endowment of Fatih Sultan Mehmed II, throughout history known as Mehmet the Conqueror, and was named after the Eyup Sultan, who died as the leader of the Arab forces in the battle. His real name was Halid bin Zeyd Ebu Eyyub and he was buried on the outskirts of the city. Following that, a cease-fire started, and the preservation of his grave was a basic requirement for this. Sultan Mehmet II made him a huge tomb to secure history is remembered. The mosque itself was built at the site where the tomb is, so this continued with the preservation of the grave.
The first ceremony called Girding the Sword of Osman was held here. During this ceremony, the new ruler of the Ottoman Empire was to be awarded. Eyup Sultan Mosque was built in the fifteenth century, but it was soon destroyed under the influence of an earthquake. In 1800 it was re-built from pale honey-coloured stone. The building style of that time was the Baroque. Since then, the mosque has been the place of worship for the Muslim world and visitors should be careful when visiting and to act in accordance with the rules.
Although Eyup Sultan Mosque is one of the most sacred places, it does not mean that other mosques in Turkey are less beautiful. Indeed, there are many buildings that do not dive only Muslims but also members of other faiths. Mosques which enjoy great respect and admiration of people are Rustem Pasha, Sultan Ahmet and beautiful Suleymaniye.