Eyüp Sultan, Ottoman Cemetery & Pierre Loti: Local Guide

✓ Last reviewed: May 2026 — Verified and updated by our licensed Turkey travel experts. Prices, opening hours and visa rules reflect the latest 2026 guidance. Istanbul 360 — a 360° look at Istanbul filmed on our private city tour. Quick Answer: Eyüp Sultan Mosque , the historic Ottoman cemetery on the hillside and Pierre Loti Hill are three connected stops at the top of the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey . You can walk from the mosque, climb through the turbaned headstones of the cemetery and ride the short Eyüp–Pierre Loti cable car (Teleferik) in about 2 to 3 hours . It''s free to enter the mosque, the cable car costs roughly $0.80-$1 with an Istanbulkart, and the route works year-round. Most visitors to Istanbul never make it past Sultanahmet. That''s a shame, because the most quietly spiritual neighborhood in the city sits 30 minutes up the Golden Horn — and it ends with the single best panoramic view of Istanbul, Turkey. This is a local-led walkthrough of our full-day Balat & Eyüp Sultan tour route — what to see, how to behave, what to spend and why this corner of the city matters. What Is Eyüp Sultan Mosque and Why Is It So Sacred? Eyüp Sultan Mosque ( Eyüp Sultan Camii ) is built around the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari , a companion and standard-bearer of the Prophet Muhammad who died during the first Arab siege of Constantinople in 674 CE. When Sultan Mehmed II conquered the city in 1453, locating and rebuilding this tomb was one of his first acts. The mosque around it was completed in 1458 — the first Ottoman mosque built inside Istanbul, Turkey after the conquest. For Turkish Muslims, this is the third holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Sultans used to come here for the kılıç kuşanma — the sword-girding ceremony that confirmed each new ruler. Today you''ll see pilgrims from across the Muslim world, brides in white walking to be photographed by the gates, and families bringing newborns for a first blessing. It is a working, living shrine — not a museum. H