Joshua's Hill (), a hill located on the Anatolian shore of the

Bosporus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

in the

Beykoz Beykoz () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 310 km2, and its population is 247,875 (2022). It lies at the northern end of the Bosphorus on the Anatolian side. The name i ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey, is a shrine consisting of a mosque and a tomb dedicated to Yusha (). The summit of the hill is 202 metres (663 feet) above sea level and an important landmark for vessels coming from the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. On the summit 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 is Yoros Castle.

History

Although the hill is now a centre for Muslim pilgrimage, it had been sanctified long before the coming of Islam. At one time there was a temple to

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

on its summit and the peak was known as the Bed of Hercules. In Byzantine times this was replaced by a church dedicated to St Michael which was destroyed by an earthquake in 150

Tomb of Joshua

At the top of the hill stands a giant symbolic grave known to Europeans as the "Giant's Grave". Some Muslims believe it to be the tomb of Joshua in Islam, Yuşa (Joshua) although there are alternative possible sites in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

(the Shia shrine at

Al-Nabi Yusha' Al-Nabi Yusha' () was a small Palestinian village in the Galilee situated 17 kilometers to the northeast of Safad, with an elevation of 375 meters above sea level. It became part of the Palestine Mandate under British control from 1923 unti ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

(An-Nabi Yusha' bin Noon, a Sunni

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

near the city of

Al-Salt Al-Salt ( ''Al-Salt''), also known as Salt, is an ancient trading city and administrative centre in west-central Jordan. It is on the old main highway leading from Amman to Jerusalem. Situated in the Balqa highland, about 790–1,100 metr ...

Mazar Hazrat Yusha' bin Noon, on the website of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada

/ref>Tomb of Prophet Yusha' (photo of the tomb; Islamic view on Prophet Yusha'/Joshua

/ref>) and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

(the Nabi Yusha' shrine of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

). A flat, rectangular earthen rise long and wide, the unroofed area is surrounded by a cast-iron grate. Local inhabitants consider the grave miraculous and come here to pray to be healed of their illnesses. The tomb area is planted with miniature

begonia ''Begonia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Begoniaceae. The genus contains more than 2,000 different plant species. The Begonias are native to moist subtropical and tropical climates. Some species are commonly grown ...

s and surrounded by mature trees. At one end of the grave are two cylindrical stones reminiscent of small millstones. In the centre of one of them are a quadrangular opening and a very noticeable fissure. The grave is surrounded by a stone wall containing two doors and several windows. Visitors enter through one of the doors, pass around the grave in a circle and exit through the second one.

Yusha Mosque

Beside the grave is the small Hazrat Yusha Mosque (), built by

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

Yirmisekizzade Mehmed Said Pasha in 1755. It had stone walls and a split roof structure before it was damaged by a fire. The mosque was restored in the reign of

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz (; ; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was overthrown in a government coup. He was a son of Sultan Mahmud II and succeeded his brother Abdulmejid I in 1861. Ab ...

in 1863.

References

External links

Yuşa Tepesi
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310093915/http://wowturkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=87882 , date=10 March 2008 ''(photo)''

Hills of Turkey Religious buildings and structures in Turkey Buildings and structures in Istanbul Tourist attractions in Istanbul Bosphorus Landforms of Istanbul Province Islamic shrines

History

Tomb of Joshua

Yusha Mosque

See also

References

External links