Eyüp__ A Time to pray, A Time to Play in a Holy City

Abstract

The core area of the Ottoman Empire, the Anatolian and Balkan regions north of the Arab regions, did not contain any Moslem holy towns such as the cities of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem-AI Quds could be defined. There were however some quarters and non-urban settlements that had acquired an aura of holiness or whose foundation or transformation was based mainly on religious functions: the quarter centred on the Mevlevi Icklee and mausoleum of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi in Konya, the main outstanding dervish convent of the sect so dear to the late Ottoman ruling class and intellectuals; the Christian Orthodox Holy Mountain, Aghios Oros; the sixteenth century leklee of Battal Seyyid Gazi, founder of the popular Bektashi order, mainstay of the janissary troops, in central Western Anatolia, (Goodwin 1971: 182- 83; Wulzinger 1913) certainly by far the most monumental reklee in the Empire, around which a small settlement had grown with a mosque, imaret kitchens, lodgings, classrooms, meeting halls. Still another site was the Eyup' quarter of Istanbul, an outer urban appendix, almost a small town. It was also called Eyiipsultan or Havas-i Reti'a.' If the great metropolis had not dwarfed it, it would have been considered a holy city on its own. Its foundation was based mainly on religious functions and it acquired all aura of holiness that no other quarter possessed. It was the seat of one of the three extra moenia kadJilk (seat of justice and administration) of the vast Istanbul territory.