Eyüp

Template: Infobox city in Turkey / Maintenance / County

Eyüp is the capital of the district of the Turkish province of İstanbul as well as a district on the European side of İstanbul. The district of Eyüp had according to the last census, 323 038 inhabitants (as at end December 2008).

Culture and sights

From Eyup the motorway bridge Haliç Köprüsü leads across the Golden Horn to the north of the district. Pierre Loti, a turkophiler French writer who lived in the late 19th century a few years in Eyüp and visited the now named after him, the cafe on the hill above the Eyüp Cemetery. The place is also accessible via a cable car and offers a view of the İstanbul neighborhoods on the Golden Horn.

Is named the Islamic district of Abu Ayyub al - Ansari ( Turkish: Ebu Eyyub el- Ensari ), a standard-bearer of Mohammed, who fell at the first unsuccessful siege of Constantinople by the Muslims in 674 outside the city walls. His grave, which was recovered according to legend, by wondrous dreams shortly after the Ottoman conquest, is now in the Eyup Sultan Mosque and is visited by numerous pilgrims. Here, the traditional Schwertumgürtung new sultans took place.