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Eyup Cami Review

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Eyüp Cami

Address: Cami Kebir Cad., Eyüp, Istanbul
Phone: No phone

Category: Religious Sites
Location: Western Districts

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Fodor's Review:

Muslim pilgrims from all over the world make their way to the brightly colored, tile-covered tomb of Eyüp Ensari, the prophet Muhammad's standard-bearer, at this mosque complex on the Golden Horn. Ensari was killed during the first Arab siege, AD 674-78, of what was then Constantinople, and the eternal presence of a man so close to Muhammad makes this the holiest Islamic shrine in Turkey. The grave was visited by Muslim pilgrims in Byzantine times, and was monumentalized in the 15th century by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, expanded by his successors, and rebuilt in 1800 after an earthquake. Despite the numbers of visitors, particularly at Friday midday prayer, the plane-tree-shaded courtyards and hundreds of fluttering pigeons imbue Eyüp Cami with a sense of peace and religious devotion not found in many other parts of this often frenetic city. A vast cemetery has grown around the mosque, including some grand tombs of many other distinguished departed.