ISTANBUL - BALAT

Balat is a district between Ayvansaray and Fener on the shores of the Golden Horn in the Fatih district of Istanbul. The name Balat comes from the Greek word palation, which means palace, and the district was known by this name because of its proximity to the Blaherna Palace on the walls.[1][2] The special significance of Balat in the history of Istanbul is that Jews from Spain were settled here and that it continued to exist as the main Jewish quarter until recently. In addition, the settlement of Jews around Balat attracted Georgian Jews to this region. Jews from the Sephardim branch fleeing the Inquisition in Spain II. They came to Istanbul at the invitation of Bayezid. Since the 15th century, Istanbul's Jewish community has lived in Balat and across the Golden Horn in Hasköy.[3] The surviving examples of Jewish houses proliferate towards the interior of the neighborhood. These are usually three-story buildings with narrow front facades and bay windows on the second and third floors. When you enter through the old Balat gate, there is the Yanbol Synagogue on the right, and the Ahrida Synagogue, which was built by the Jews from the Macedonian town of Ohrid, just ahead. Balat's oldest synagogue is thought to be here, but today's structure dates from the mid-19th century. Balat Jews have immigrated to Israel since the 1950s. Few Jews remained in Balat, as the rest moved to other parts of the city. There is also the Ayios Strati Orthodox Church in the district. The main mosque in the district is the Ferruh Kethüda Mosque, the work of Mimar Sinan. A little further from the mosque is the Surp Hreşdegabet Church, which was originally a Greek Orthodox church but was given to the Armenian-Gregorian community in 1629.[4] In addition, the infrastructure of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Sports Club is located here. . Email: ucarakkesfet@gmail.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/ucarakkesfet Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ucarakkesfet?lang=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NecatKalkan Facebook: https://tr-tr.facebook.com/ucarakkesfet Twitter:https://twitter.com/ucarakkesfet