Fire in historical waterfront mosque on Bosphorus extinguished

ISTANBUL

A fire at the Vaniköy Mosque, a 350-year-old waterfront mosque in the Çengelköy neighborhood of the Üsküdar district in Istanbul, has been extinguished, officials said on Nov. 15.

In a statement, the Governorship of Istanbul said the fire broke out at around 13:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) in the historical mosque.

The mosque along the Bosphorus was set ablaze due to unknown reasons. Locals immediately informed the fire brigades.

Due to the wooden structure, fire spread swiftly and the efforts to put out the fire have not succeeded.

A statement about the reason behind the fire and the remains will be made as soon as possible, said the officials.

The mosque was built in 1670 by Vani Mehmet Efendi and was named after his constructor. With only one minaret and a minaret balcony, the rectangular mosque was mainly made from wood.