Turkey not only attracts tourists because of its charming nature, as it also contains many tourist places related to the stories of the prophets and saints, which are visited by tourists from different countries of the world in general, and Muslims in particular with the intention of seeking blessings.
It is believed that the fire became cold and peace upon our master Ibrahim in the Turkish city of Urfa, leaving behind a pool of water that is still a shrine to this day and is called “the blessing of Abraham.” It is also said that al-Khidr, peace be upon him, met our master Moses in southern Turkey and that his stick turned into a tree that emerges Including water, it is still present today in Hatay in southern Turkey and is called the “Moses Tree”.
As for the shrines that are teeming with Turkey, perhaps the most famous of them is the shrine of the Prophet of God, Joshua bin Nun, located in the Asian region of Beykoz in Istanbul. Let us learn together about the story of the discovery of this shrine, and its specifications.
The Tomb of Joshua Bin Nun
Religions agree on the personality of the Prophet of God Joshua, who was the leader of the Children of Israel after the death of Moses, peace be upon him.
It was mentioned in the Old Testament of the distorted Gospel, in the book that bears his name – the book of Joshua. The Old Testament tells that Joshua was the one who brought the Children of Israel out of the labyrinth and entered Jerusalem with them after a siege and fierce fighting.
According to the People of the Book, the lineage of Prophet Joshua goes back to the tribe of Ephraim; Because he is the son of Nun bin Ibrahim bin Yusuf bin Yaqoub bin Ishaq bin Ibrahim Al Khalil, and it is said that Joshua is the cousin of the Prophet Hood, peace be upon him.
It is said that Joshua met with the Prophet Musa and Al-Khidr at the complex of Bahrain, i.e., the Ichi (Bosphorus) region, and after his death he was buried on a hill there later known by his name.
The Discovery of The Tomb of Prophet Joshua (peace be upon him)
The story says that the one who discovered the tomb, which has become a shrine and a tourist attraction today, is Sheikh Yahya Effendi, born in Trabzon in 1495.
Yahya Effendi spent his childhood among the members of the Ottoman dynasty. His mother was a close friend of Hafsa Sultan, the wife of Sultan Selim I, and his father, Omar Effendi, was one of the most loyal and loyal men to the Sultan.
When Yahya Effendi grew up, he became a researcher interested in Sufism, and his research led him to discover a tomb attributed to the Prophet Joshua on a hill that is now known by his name in the Beykoz area in the Asian part of Istanbul.
The shepherds told Yahya Effendi that their sheep do not approach the grass on this hill despite its abundance, but only graze around it, so it is always green.
Although there is no compelling evidence that the tomb of the Prophet Joshua is actually located in this area, it has received great attention throughout the ages and is visited by thousands of tourists annually. It is visited by the people of Islam to seek blessings and supplications with him, in the hope that God will answer their supplication by mentioning the name of this noble Prophet, and it is worth noting that There is also a shrine to the Prophet Yusha’ in Jordan near the city of Salt, and there is also in northern Lebanon in the city of Miniyeh in an area called the area of the Prophet Yusha’.
The Hill of “Prophet Joshua”
The Nabi Yosha hill overlooks the Bosphorus and is located at an altitude of 200 meters above sea level. It is the second largest hill in Istanbul after Çamlıca Hill.
The hill is about 5 km from the Beykoz district, while it is 37 km from the center of Istanbul, and is easily accessible by public transportation.
The mound contains the tomb of the Prophet Yushua, which is 17 meters long. It is likely that the reason for the huge length of the tomb is that the exact location of the Prophet’s burial is not known, so his tomb was large enough to include the entire area in which he was said to be buried.
The mausoleum has a large balcony from which visitors can enjoy watching Istanbul from the top, and the Black Sea and the Bosphorus can also be seen from this balcony, and if you visit the shrine early, you will be able to enjoy breakfast there.
There is also a mosque in the area built in the year 1755 by Prime Minister Muhammad Shalabi, who was an Ottoman ambassador in Paris during the reign of Sultan Osman III, and is considered one of the masterpieces of Ottoman architecture.
At the entrance to the hill you will find a small market that gets crowded on Fridays and holidays, and there is a large garden that leads to a room dedicated to reciting the Qur’an located in front of the shrine.
It is worth noting that Yosha Hill is one of the few places that still preserves its dense green cover, but it is also threatened with losing its natural splendor with the construction of the third bridge over the Bosphorus.
In any case, whether the body of Prophet Joshua is actually located in this shrine or not, this place contains so much beauty and awe that it is truly worthy of a visit.
