Yeraltı Mosque

in the 1420s, before the conversion of its cellar into a mosque The mosque was originally the basement cellar of a Byzantine fortress. After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, this cellar was used as a storage for ammunition, as well as a water cistern. Then the Ottoman vizier, Köse Bahir Mustafa Pasha, converted the cellar into a mosque in 1753. Memorial cenotaphs for three holy men were added in the same year as well, at the request of a Naqshbandi dervish. The 1754 Istanbul earthquake destroyed the structure, and so the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I ordered it to be rebuilt. The mosque was thus completed in 1756. The minaret was later rebuilt as well, but it is nowhere to be seen in the present day. == The tombs ==

Inside the mosque below ground floor, there are two rooms which contain tombs. These tombs are attributed to two Sahaba and one of the Tabi' al-Tabi'een. However, Amr ibn al-As is known to have died in Egypt, while there is little to no record of any Sahaba named "Wahb ibn Husayra" at all. Local traditions relate that these Sahaba were captured during an attempted invasion of Constantinople and tortured to death. The room containing his cenotaph is located in the middle of the mosque and can be entered through a small doorway. The local traditions relate that he was a soldier fighting under Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik who was captured in battle and tortured to death. However, it is known that Sufyan ibn Uyaynah died in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. == Gallery ==

File:Yeraltı Cami.jpg|Main entrance File:20110722 interior Yeralti Cami Karakoy Istanbul Turkey.jpg|One of the hallways in the mosque File:20110722 turbe dome Yeralti Cami Karakoy Istanbul Turkey.jpg|The dome above the tombs of Amr and Wahb File:20110722 Minbar Yeralti Cami Karakoy Istanbul Turkey.jpg|The minbar (pulpit) of the mosque File:20110722 Mihrab Yeralti Cami Karakoy Istanbul Turkey.jpg|The mihrab of the mosque == See also ==