Üsküdar railway station

Around 1.5 million buildings in Istanbul need to be rebuilt from the ground up for structural integrity, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said on March 2.

The southwestern wind, which began on Dec. 22, continues to impact various cities in Turkey, especially Istanbul.

Due to the strong wind that turned into a storm from time-to-time, giant waves have lashed the coast of Üsküdar district, and sea transportation was hampered in the Bosphorus Strait and Marmara Sea.