Eyüp Sultan Camii & Tomb Off

Lonely Planet review

This mosque complex occupies what is reputedly the burial place of Ayoub al-Ansari, a friend of the Prophet's and a revered member of Islam's early leadership. Eyüp fell in battle outside the walls of Constantinople while carrying the banner of Islam during the Arab assault and siege of the city from 674 to 678. He was buried outside the walls and, ironically, his tomb later came to be venerated by the Byzantine inhabitants of the city.

When Mehmet the Conqueror besieged Constantinople in 1453, he built a grander and more fitting tomb. The mosque that he built on the site became the place where the Ottoman princes came for the Turkish equivalent of coronation: to gird the Sword of Osman, signifying their power and their title as padişah (king of kings), or sultan. In 1766 Mehmet's building was levelled by an earthquake; a new mosque was built on the site by Sultan Selim III in 1800.

If you arrive by ferry (the best way), cross the road from the ferry stop and walk up İskele Caddesi, the main shopping street, until you reach the mosque complex. From the plaza outside the complex, enter the great doorway to a courtyard shaded by a huge plane tree; the mosque is to your right and the tomb, rich with silver, gold, crystal chandeliers and coloured İznik tiles, is to your left. Even though women pray in a separate room to the right of the mosque, females can usually enter the mosque itself and stand at the rear if they are properly covered.

Be careful to observe the Islamic proprieties when visiting, as this is an extremely sacred place for Muslims, ranking fourth after the big three: Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.

During your visit you may see boys dressed up in white satin suits with spangled caps and red sashes emblazoned with the word 'Maşallah'. These lads are on the way to their circumcision and have made a stop beforehand at this holy place.

After visiting the mosque, many visitors head north up the hill to Pierre Loti Café, where the famous French novelist is said to have come for inspiration. Loti loved İstanbul, its decadent grandeur and the late-medieval customs of a society in decline. When he sat in this café, under a shady grapevine sipping tea, he saw a Golden Horn busy with caïques (long, thin rowboats), schooners and a few steam vessels. The water in the Golden Horn was still clean enough to swim in and the vicinity of the café was given over to pasture. The café that today bears his name has no connection to Loti, but it occupies a similar spot and offers views similar to the ones he must have enjoyed. It's in a warren of streets on a promontory surrounded by the Eyüp Sultan Mezarlığı (Cemetery of the Great Eyüp). Many important people, including lots of grand viziers, are buried here.

The surest way to find the café is to walk out of the mosque complex to the plaza, turn right, and walk around the mosque complex (keeping it on your right) until you see a set of stairs and a steep cobbled path going uphill into the cemetery. Hike up the steep hill for 10 to 15 minutes to reach the café. Alternatively, a cable car (around YTL2 each way; Akbil accepted) joins the waterfront with the top of the hill. The café is open from 08:00 to midnight daily and serves çay (around YTL2 ), Türk kahvesi (around YTL3 ) and nargilehs (around YTL9 Be sure to check the bill before paying. There's also a souvenir store here that sells postcards featuring historical views of the city.