The mosque complex includes a mausoleum marking the spot where Ebu Eyüp el-Ansari (Abu Ayyub al-Ansari), the standard-bearer and companion of the Prophet Muhammad, is said to have been buried.
Because of its particular sanctity, the mosque played a role in the coronation ceremony for new Ottoman Sultans, who came here – processing along the grand Cülus Yolu (Accession Way) – to be girded with the sword of Osman at the start of their reigns.
Today it’s popularity as a pilgrimage destination means that it is full of shops selling religious items such as prayer rugs and beads. There is also an area set aside for the feeding of pigeons which is regarded as holy in Islam.
The mosque is within short walking distance of the Eyüp tram stop on the T5 line from Alibeyköy to Çibali.
It is also served by regular buses from Eminönü, Taksim and other parts of the city.
History
The mosque is named after Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion and trusted friend of Muhammad, who is believed to have died here during the first Arab siege of Constantinople in the 670s.
A mosque complex (külliye) was constructed on the site in 1458 by the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II only five years after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Mehmed II was reportedly motivated to build the mosque after his teacher, Akşemseddin, had a dream about building a commemorative mosque at the burial place of al-Ayyub al-Ansari. When al-Ansari’s tomb was found in 1458 the mosque was built next to it.
In the early 18th century, Sultan Ahmed III rebuilt the two minarets of the mosque in their current form. 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 n Baroque style – this work was completed in 1800.
The new mosque made use of the Classical Ottoman tradition by following the octagonal baldaquin design, similar to the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in the Azapkapı neighbourhood, but much of its decoration is in the contemporary Baroque style. The eastern minaret was rebuilt in the original style by Mahmud II in 1822.
