Travel Photography | Children of Balat | Istanbul Turkey

© 2012 Wazari Wazir | Children of Balat | Istanbul Turkey

Balat is the traditional Jewish quarter in the Fatih district of Istanbul. It is located on the European side of Istanbul, in the old city on the historic peninsula, on the western bank of the Golden Horn. (Another Istanbul neighborhood deeply associated with Jewish settlement is Kuzguncuk on the Asian shore.)

Today Balat is a working-class district on the shores of the Golden Horn. Though it once had as many as nineteen synagogues, only two of importance remain, the famous Ahrida, and the neighboring Yanbol. The site of a Jewish school is close by, and Or Ahayim Jewish Hospital is several hundred meters to the northwest, within walking distance. Remember to make arrangements in advance with the Chief Rabbinate to visit these sites.

 Now Balat receiving the attention and support of UNESCO and The European Union. Rehabilitation of Fener and Balat Districts Programme is a joint programme of the European Union and Fatih Municipality. The Programme is being implemented by Fatih Municipality, supported by a Technical Assistance Team, commissioned in accordance with a service agreement signed with a consortium led by Foment Ciutat Vella SA, a development company 50% owned by the City of Barcelona. The other members of the consortium are IMC Consulting (United Kingdom), GRET (France) and Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work (FSWW) (Turkey).

Balat is the host of many ruined houses which remain from very old times.  All ruined houses in the neighborhood are important owing to their history, because lots of them are from Byzantine and Ottoman times. UNESCO is very successful in the restoration of the ruined houses in Balat. They prepare good projects and after their approval they start to work without harming their original version.

However they never demolished the bay of the house and never built a new roof.   They just repaired it by using natural equipment to convey it to the next generation.  They never wanted to add new things to this house, because they know that under this condition it would lose its historical value. They worked for a very old door and they found suitable hinges for it. They never used ‘pvc window’ instead of an old one. That’s why they worked painstakingly and deftly.  Therefore in Balat there were many ruined houses that were restored by UNESCO.  After restoration people live there.

For those of you who like street photography and human interest, I highly recommended you to visit Balat and Fener, peoples here are very friendy from my personal experience. Another thing is that this place is less crowded with tourist, so you can take your time to get to know the people living here and I was quite surprise while shooting here when I heard someone yelling, “are you from Malaysia?” It looks like they know that we are form Malaysia, maybe they are guessing but they get it right.

To those of you who have plenty of time to explore this hidden part of Istanbul, I highly recommended you to start from Eyup, and from there you can take your time visiting this beautiful place.