20 Interesting Facts About Eyup Sultan Mosque
01 March 2026 - Eyüp Sultan Camii
History and Foundation
1. Eyup Sultan Mosque was completed only 5 years after the conquest of Istanbul (1458). It is the first major kulliye built after the conquest.
2. The tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari was discovered by Akshemseddin after being lost for approximately 800 years. A stone inscribed with "Haza Kabr-i Ebi Eyyub" (This is the tomb of Abu Ayyub) was found above the grave.
3. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari hosted the Prophet (peace be upon him) during his migration to Medina for seven months in his home. For this reason, he is known by the title "al-Ansari" (the helper).
4. The mosque suffered major damage in the 1766 earthquake and was completely rebuilt by Sultan Selim III in 1800. The current structure dates from the Selim III era.
Architecture and Art
5. The diameter of the mosque's dome is 17.5 meters and it rests on 6 stone columns.
6. Among the tiles in the tomb, examples from 5 different periods are found together. It is essentially a tile museum.
7. The mosque's minarets were initially found too short and were rebuilt in 1733 by the order of Sultan Ahmed III.
Traditions and Culture
8. In the Ottoman Empire, 35 of the 36 sultans held a sword-girding ceremony at Eyup Sultan upon ascending the throne.
9. Walking backwards when exiting after visiting the tomb is a centuries-old tradition to avoid turning one's back on Abu Ayyub.
10. The plane tree in the mosque courtyard is estimated to be over 500 years old.
11. Eyup Sultan is considered the fourth holiest site in the Islamic world, after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.
Eyup Sultan in Numbers
12. An estimated over 5 million people visit Eyup Sultan annually.
13. During Ramadan, the daily number of visitors can exceed 100,000.
14. The queue in front of the tomb can reach 2 hours on busy days.
15. Thousands of Ottoman statesmen, scholars, and artists are buried in the Eyupsultan Cemetery surrounding the mosque.
Little-Known Facts
16. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari was approximately 90 years old when he passed away and was martyred before the walls of Istanbul.
17. Fatih Sultan Mehmed first had a tomb built on the site where the grave was found, then a mosque. The tomb was completed before the mosque.
18. There are more than 100 Ottoman-era fountains around Eyup Sultan.
19. The historic cafe on Pierre Loti Hill has been in operation since the 1870s.
20. The call to prayer is recited 5 times daily in the Eyup Sultan Mosque courtyard, a tradition that has continued uninterrupted since 1458 — for approximately 568 years.