Joshua's Hill
Encyclopedia
Joshua's Hill a hill located on the Asian shore of Bosporus
in Beykoz
district of Istanbul
, Turkey
is a shrine containing a mosque
and a tomb
dedicated to Saint Joshua
. The sacred place, culminating the height of 180-195 meters above sea level, is also an important landmark for vessels coming from the Black Sea
. At the summit of the hill is a terrace with benches for the comfort of pilgrims visiting the mosque and the tomb of Saint Joshua. To the north of the hill, Yoros Castle
is situated.
A flat, rectangular earthen rise 17 meters long and 2 meters wide. It is surrounded with a high cast-iron grate, enclosed by means of an iron netting. The point is that the local inhabitants consider the grave miraculous and come here in order to be healed of their illnesses. But, the iron netting prevents the pilgrim from touching the holy ground inside the fence.
The ground is overgrown with thick grass. Several high trees grow. At the opposite end of the grave are two circular cylindrical stones, which are reminiscent of small millstones. In the center of one of them are seen a quadrangular opening and a very noticeable fissure. All this is enclosed by a stone wall, in which two doors and several windows have been made. The pilgrims enter one of the doors, pass around the grave in a circle and exit outside through a second door.
Yirmisekizzade Mehmed Said Pasha in 1755 with an adjacent shrine. This small mosque had stone walls and a split roof structure because it was burnt. The mosque was restored during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz
in 1863.
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
in Beykoz
Beykoz
Beykoz is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey at the northern end of the Bosphorus on the Anatolian side. Beykoz includes everything from the streams of Küçüksu and Göksu up to the opening of the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, and the villages in the hinterland as far as the river of Riva...
district of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
is a shrine containing a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and a tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
dedicated to Saint Joshua
Joshua
Joshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...
. The sacred place, culminating the height of 180-195 meters above sea level, is also an important landmark for vessels coming from the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. At the summit of the hill is a terrace with benches for the comfort of pilgrims visiting the mosque and the tomb of Saint Joshua. To the north of the hill, Yoros Castle
Yoros Castle
Yoros Castle is a ruined castle at the confluence of the Bosporus and the Black Sea, to the north of Joshua's Hill, in Istanbul, Turkey. It is also commonly referred to as the Genoese Castle, due to Genoa’s possession of it in the mid-15th century....
is situated.
Tomb of Joshua
At the top of the hill, a giant symbolic grave stands, known to the Europeans as the "Giant's Grave". It is believed by the Muslims being the "Tomb of Saint Joshua".A flat, rectangular earthen rise 17 meters long and 2 meters wide. It is surrounded with a high cast-iron grate, enclosed by means of an iron netting. The point is that the local inhabitants consider the grave miraculous and come here in order to be healed of their illnesses. But, the iron netting prevents the pilgrim from touching the holy ground inside the fence.
The ground is overgrown with thick grass. Several high trees grow. At the opposite end of the grave are two circular cylindrical stones, which are reminiscent of small millstones. In the center of one of them are seen a quadrangular opening and a very noticeable fissure. All this is enclosed by a stone wall, in which two doors and several windows have been made. The pilgrims enter one of the doors, pass around the grave in a circle and exit outside through a second door.
Yuşa Mosque
Yuşa Mosque was built by Grand VizierGrand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Yirmisekizzade Mehmed Said Pasha in 1755 with an adjacent shrine. This small mosque had stone walls and a split roof structure because it was burnt. The mosque was restored during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz
Abdülâziz
Abdülaziz I or Abd Al-Aziz, His Imperial Majesty was the 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and reigned between 25 June 1861 and 30 May 1876...
in 1863.
External links
- Yuşa Tepesi (photo)
- Yuşa Mosque (photo)
- The Zigzags Of Our History
