Neighborhoods of Istanbul – Eyüp Sultan and Pierre Loti Hill

The importance and popularity of the neighborhood of Eyüp Sultan is rooted in the absolutely amazing story of Eyüp al-Ansari and the discovery of his grave.

Eyüp al-Ansari was a companion of the Prophet Muhammed, and a flag bearer in his army during the early years of Islamic expansion during the 7th century. Eyüp al-Ansari died during an assault against the Byzantines at Constantinople and with his dying breath requested that he be buried as deep into enemy territory as possible.

Centuries later, during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Fatih Mehmet, the city of Constantinople fell to the Ottomans, and Sheik Akshemseddin had a vision. He dreamt that the place where the Sultan had spread his prayer rug outside of the city was where the body of Eyüp al-Ansari would be found. The Sheik and a few attendants went to the spot and found a well-preserved body with an engraved stone stating that the body was that of Eyüp al-Ansari.

A grand mosque and mausoleum were erected at the site and the area became the traditional place where Ottoman sultans were crowned.

The Mosque eventually collapsed due to an earthquake and had to be rebuilt. The reconstruction of the tomb and mosque was completed around the year 1820 in what largely reflects the design of the original.

The tomb of Eyüp al-Ansari, though somewhat simple in design is magnificently adorned with Iznik tiles, wrought metal screens, and mother-of-pearl inlaid woodwork. In with the tomb is a small collection of other religious relics from the prophet Muhammad. Visitors come to pray beside the tomb, read Qur’anic passages, or sometimes just see the sight. Please keep in mind that this is one of the most sacred sites in the country so be sure to behave appropriately (see How to Visit Religious Sites for more on that).

Just a short walk away from the Mausoleum of Eyüp al-Ansari (or a short gondola ride if you prefer) is the hill of Pierre Loti, a popular viewpoint full of outdoor cafes in the middle of the sprawling Eyüp graveyard.

Pierre Loti Hill takes its name from one of its famous visitors, a French naval officer and novelist (actual name Louis Marie-Julien Viaud) who fell in love with the city (as well as a particular woman as novelists are prone to doing when abroad) and wrote a pair of novels about his experiences called Aziyade and Fantom d’orient.

Today Pierre Loti Hill is one of the most popular places to sit over a cup of Turkish coffee and enjoy the beautiful views that a French officer fell in love with a hundred years ago.

While a graveyard may not seem like a likely tourist destination, the Eyüp Sultan Graveyard is no ordinary cemetery. It is somewhat common practice in historical Turkey for people to bury their dead as near to great or holy people as possible and with a saint as important as Eyüp al-Ansari, the neighborhood grew to be an ever-spreading web of graves great and small. From Sultans and nobles to commoners, Eyüp became home to thousands of graves.

While the graveyards on the slopes of Pierre Loti Hill are for the most part new and simple, the graves down below, nearer to the mosque and mausoleum of Eyüp al-Ansari, are from the Ottoman period and offer exquisite examples of Ottoman era tombs and the mastery of stone carving.

Ottoman headstones are full of symbolism. Different shapes and styles denote class, trade, gender, age of death, and even if the deceased was an executioner. Executioner’s graves were left without names to keep vandals from seeking revenge for the death of a relative.