Turkey

Suleymaniye Mosque

The Suleymaniye Mosque is the largest masjid in Istanbul and regarded as its most important. It was built on the order of Sulayman the Magnificent by the great architect Sinan, both are buried within the complex. Construction work began in 1550 CE and was finished in 1558 CE.

• Like the city’s other imperial mosques, the Suleymaniye mosque was not only a place of worship, but also a charitable foundation, or kulliye. The mosque is surrounded by its former hospital, soup kitchen, schools, caravanserai (resting place for travellers) and bath house. This complex provided a welfare system which fed over 1,000 of the city’s poor – Muslims, Christians and Jews alike – every day. The size of the millstone in its courtyard gives an idea of the amount of grain that was needed to feed everyone.

• In the garden behind the main mosque there are two mausoleums including the tombs of Sultan Sulayman I, his wife Roxelana, his daughter Mihrimah, his mother Dilaşub Saliha and his sister Asiye. The sultans Sulayman II and Ahmed II, are also buried here.

• Just outside the mosque walls, to the north is the tomb of Sinan, considered the greatest architect of the classical period of Ottoman architecture. Sinan died aged 98, having built 131 mosques and 200 other buildings. He was born a Christian and later converted to Islam.

• To the south of the mosque is a madressa housing a library containing 110,000 manuscripts. The main courtyard entrance contained the rooms of the mosque astronomer who determined the times of prayer.

• The Süleymaniye Mosque was ravaged by a fire in 1660 and was restored by Sultan Mehmed IV. Part of the dome collapsed again during the earthquake of 1766. Subsequent repairs damaged what was left of the original decoration of Sinan (recent cleaning has shown that Sinan experimented first with blue, before turning red the dominant color of the dome).

• During World War I the courtyard was used as a weapons depot, and when some of the ammunition ignited, the mosque suffered another fire. Not until 1956 was it fully restored again.

The Blue Mosque

Although popularly known as the Blue Mosque due to the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior, this masjid’s actual name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It was built between 1609 and 1616 CE by Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, a student of the great architect Sinan.

Tomb of Abu Ayyub Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him)

This tomb, on the outskirts of Istanbul, belongs to Abu Ayyub Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) who was a great and close companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).

• His full name was Khalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb.

• When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) emigrated to Madinah, all of the Ansar were keen to host the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in their house. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) made the decision that he would stay where his camel stopped and it subsequently stopped at the residence of Abu Ayyub Ansari. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) stayed at his house for 7 months.

• Abu Ayyub Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) had a distinguished military career and was still out in the path of Allah at the age of 80. He died during the campaign of Constantinople (Istanbul) and is buried there.

Topkapi Palace

The Topkapi Palace is a large palace in Istanbul  that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years.  It houses the ‘Sacred Relics’, various religious pieces of the Prophets and the Sahabah including what is believed to be the pot of Ebrahim (upon him be peace), the turban of Yusuf (upon him be peace) and hair of the Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).

Hagia Sophia

Situated in the heart of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia (meaning ‘Divine Wisdom’),  was originally built as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and later was converted into a masjid (mosque) when the city was conquered by Sultan Mehmed II in 1453 CE. It remained a masjid until 1931 when it was turned into a museum.

Site where Ebrahim (upon him be peace) was thrown into the fire

This site in Urfa, Turkey is believed to be the place where Ebrahim (upon him be peace) was thrown into the fire by Namrud (Nimrod) for refusing to submit to the worshipping of idols. Close by is a cave where he is said to have been born. Urfa was formerly known as Edessa and was the setting for several battles during the Crusades.

Resting place of the Ark of Nuh (upon him be peace)

Mount Judi is the resting place of the Ark built by Nuh (upon him be peace) by the command of Allah. It is situated in south-east Turkey, close to the Syrian and Iraqi borders.

• The Quranic account of the Flood and Noah’s Ark agrees with that given in the Bible, with a few variations. One of these concerns the final resting place of the Ark. According to Genesis, the Ark grounded on the “mountains of Ararat”; while according to Surah 11:44 of the Qur’an, the final resting place of the vessel was called Mount Judi:
  “Then the word went forth: “O earth! Swallow up thy water, and O sky! Withhold (thy rain)!” and the water abated, and the matter was ended. The Ark rested on Mount Judi, and the word went forth: “Away with those who do wrong!” [11:44]

• The picture above is believed to be the current remains of the Ark on the mountain.