Tehran: Iranian media say firefighters managed to put out a blaze that erupted at the historic market in the north-western city of Tabriz.

Thursday's report by the official Islamic Republic News Agency(IRNA) news agency says around 16 people were slightly injured in the fire, which erupted around 9 p.m. on Wednesday at the Bazaar of Tabriz, which dates back 1,000 years.

Around 5,500 shops were damaged in a fire which took six hours to extinguish, according to IRNA

The bazaar has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010 and was mentioned by Marco Polo when he travelled the Silk Road in the Middle Ages.

There was no word on what started the fire. The Bazaar of Tabriz has seen several fires over the past years due to disregard of safety measures.