Masses flock to Eyüp Sultan for suhur meals

But this location is special -- only a few hours after the iftar masses trickle away, the area fills once more for the pre-dawn suhur meal as the faithful from across the nation make it out to this site, which many view as sacred, to begin their day’s fast.

Particularly on the weekends, the area in and around the Eyüp Sultan Mosque fills with people coming to worship -- lines of Muslims praying spill out into the streets as thousands turn up for the event. Many have traveled from nearby and far-off provinces just to be able to spend some precious moments here. The demand is so high that even tourism operators are involved, organizing special programs for those who want to spend Sunday morning at the mosque. On Sundays the mosque is open 24 hours for worshippers, allowing the many visitors to spend some time in the building praying.

The suhur spreads are diverse: Some choose to buy their meals at the restaurants across the street from the mosque; others, especially locals, bring their own food to eat. Others still choose to visit nearby restaurants that are open at the suhur hour, before returning to the mosque in time for the dawn prayer. And the pickings aren’t slim: With tea, cheese, olives, salami, eggs, different kinds of börek, melons and watermelon, all kinds of breakfast foods can be found here.

An atmosphere of sharing usually seen at neighborhood iftars can also be observed at suhur time at the mosque, with many women who live nearby cooking extra amounts of food to share with strangers who have traveled to pray at the mosque. The crowd includes men, women and children of all ages, as well as groups of tourists, families and friends. Suhurs at Eyüp Sultan are a long-standing tradition that is only becoming more popular with each passing year.

While Eyüp Sultan is one of the most crowded Ramadan locations, it differs from many others in that the atmosphere is markedly more spiritual and solemn. The scene is positive, but not festival-like -- it is more fitting to the spirit of Ramadan, many might say. Mobile food vendors and shops are not permitted in the area around the mosque, which has helped to focus attention on worship at the location.

Sacred site for Muslims

İstanbul’s Eyüp district, also referred to as Eyüp Sultan, is known as the fourth most important sacred Muslim site in the world, coming after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.

It is the place where the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, and the mosque named after him are located, so it is always flooded with local and foreign visitors alike. The district’s popularity increases during the holy month of Ramadan, and the area around the mosque becomes particularly crowded at that time of year.

The mosque, the tombs of various prominent figures, the tree that Mehmed II planted in the mosque courtyard and the mark left by hundreds of years of prayers makes for a grand, yet in some ways subtle, experience, especially for Muslims.

Iftars are also a grand affair at the mosque.

As the evening prayer and iftar approach, people start gathering from all over İstanbul. Mats, usually borrowed from the mosque, begin to cover the mosque square and restaurants, iftar tents and people who want to distribute food make sure they are ready for the cannon fire -- blanks are fired in most places to notify people of the fast-breaking time. When the call to prayer is heard, people eat something to break their fast and join the congregational prayer before iftar.

Unlike other mosques, the imam of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque prays at a normal pace, a contrast to the lightning-speed pace of many other prayer leaders in the city. Like the quiet before the storm, the entire square is tranquil, with only the voice of the imam leading the prayer heard, accompanied by the sounds of birds and small children running across the square or riding their bikes.

Then, the storm breaks. The crowd separates into many segments. Some stay in the mosque area, eating and sharing the food they brought. Some return home. Some go to one of the restaurants nearby. And some go to nearby Feshane to eat and have fun. Yet the crowd does not seem to be still or lessen in number until much later. The mass of people becomes quiet when it is time for the terawih prayer, and decreases after the prayer as people head home.

Soğanlı börek adds flavor to tables

This style of börek (onion pastry) is widely known.

Ingredients: 850 gr onion, sliced, 60 gr butter, 30 gr of which are melted, 4 eggs, 4 sheets yufka, salt, black pepper, 1 egg and 60 ml milk.

Method: Preheat oven to 180°C, place onions in pan of salted water, simmer for 5 mins, drain. Heat 30 gr of butter in pan, add onions. Cook until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat. Slowly add eggs, stirring. Return to heat, cook for a few minutes. Add salt, pepper. Grease a 25 cm börek dish and crumple 1/3 a yufka sheet on  bottom. Lay a further sheet, brush with egg wash; repeat 3 times. Spread onion mixture over yufka. Repeat layering. Mark top layer with a knife, cutting into the yufka. Pour remaining butter on top and bake for 30 mins.

Poor Man’s Salad for a rich iftar spread

The recipe for Fukara Salatası (Poor Man’s Salad) is perfect for the summer, combining the goodness of grilled tomatoes with a traditional recipe that is well suited for the month of Ramadan. To make it, take nicely shaped tomatoes, cut (crossways) in half, scoop out the seeds, sprinkle a little sea salt and place them on a medium hot grill. When the tomatoes absorb their own juice, add a spoonful of olive oil in each one and leave them on the grill for 10 more minutes. When they are done, take the tomatoes off the grill, place them on a plate and add a little chopped parsley. If you add the juice of half a lemon it makes a pretty good salad and this, probably, is the irony. Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, there is an Italian version of this called insalata di poveri. In this recipe, plum tomatoes are used instead of the vaguely described “nicely shaped” ones.