Abu Ayyub al-Ansari
The cemetery was very popular with Ottoman people, as they wanted to be buried next to the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (576–circa 672 or 674), in Ottoman Turkish "Ebu Eyyûb el-Ensarî" (in modern Turkish "Eyüp Sultan", hence the name of the cemetery). A close companion ("sahaba") of Prophet Muhammad, he died during a raid against the Byzantine capital Constantinople and wanted to be buried as close as possible to the city walls. After the Conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, a tomb was constructed above his grave and a mosque, called today the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, was built in his honor. From that time on, the area now known as Eyüp has become sacred, and many prominent Ottoman people requested burial in proximity of Abu Ayyub.