Historic mosque destroyed by fire in Şavşat, Artvin

A fire destroyed the historic Pınarlı Merkez Camii, a wooden mosque built in 1931, in the Şavşat district of Artvin. The blaze reportedly began in the wooden minaret during the evening call to prayer and quickly spread to the main prayer area and an adjacent residential building.

Local villagers attempted to combat the flames before fire departments and Forestry Regional Directorate teams arrived. While the fire was eventually brought under control, both the mosque and the nearby lodging were rendered unusable. Preliminary indications suggest the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit, though an official investigation is ongoing to determine the exact cause.