The Vaniköy Mosque, a 355-year-old wooden mosque located on the Bosporus in İstanbul, was destroyed in a fire on Sunday, according to Turkish media reports.
The single minaret mosque, built in 1655 during the reign of Ottoman Sultan IV Mehmed, is located on the Asian side of İstanbul along the Bosporus Strait. Videos showed heavy smoke pouring from the structure. The fire was extinguished thanks to the efforts of the İstanbul Fire Department, which worked from both land and sea.
Firefighters prevented the blaze from reaching a forest behind the mosque and the neighboring houses that line the Bosporus. They were aided by the coast guard.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and the İstanbul Governor’s Office has announced that an investigation has been launched.