Fire damages historic mosque on Istanbul’s Bosporus Strait

Published November 15, 2020
A fire engulfs Vanikoy Mosque, a historic wooden mosque, in Istanbul on Sunday. — AP
A fire engulfs Vanikoy Mosque, a historic wooden mosque, in Istanbul on Sunday. — AP

A historic wooden mosque in Istanbul caught on fire on Sunday and Turkish firefighters put out the blaze, working from both land and sea.

The Vanikoy Mosque, built in the 17th century during the reign of Ottoman Sultan IV Mehmed, is located on the Asian side of Istanbul along the Bosporus Strait. Videos showed heavy smoke pouring from the structure.

Istanbul’s Fire Department tweeted the fire had been extinguished and cooling efforts were ongoing. The firefighters prevented the fire from reaching a forest behind the mosque and the neighbouring houses that line the Bosporus. They were aided by the coast guard.

The mosque is a wooden structure with a single minaret. The cause of the fire was not yet determined and the city’s governor said an investigation had been launched.

Opinion

Editorial

Half measures
Updated 14 Dec, 2024

Half measures

The question remains: Were suspects' prolonged detention, subsequent trial, and punishments ever legal in eyes of the law?
Engaging with Kabul
14 Dec, 2024

Engaging with Kabul

WHILE relations with the Afghan Taliban have been testy of late, mainly because of the feeling in Islamabad that the...
Truant ministers
Updated 14 Dec, 2024

Truant ministers

LAWMAKERS from both the opposition and treasury benches have been up in arms about what they see as cabinet...
A political resolution
Updated 13 Dec, 2024

A political resolution

It seems that there has been some belated realisation that a power vacuum has been created at expense of civilian leadership.
High price increases
13 Dec, 2024

High price increases

FISCAL stabilisation prescribed by the IMF can be expensive — for the common people — in more ways than one. ...
Beyond HOTA
13 Dec, 2024

Beyond HOTA

IN a welcome demonstration of HOTA’s oversight role, kidney transplant services have been suspended at...