Balat & Fener: the back story

About Balat & Fener: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Istanbul Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Fener and Balat climb the hill above the Golden Horn. For centuries Fener was the heart of the Greek Orthodox community, seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, while Balat was home to Jewish and Armenian families. Their steep lanes of colourful houses are now among the most photographed in Istanbul.

Fener

Fener, the Phanar, was the Greek quarter of Ottoman Istanbul, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate still has its seat here. Above the rooftops rises the great red-brick school known to locals as the Red Castle.

Balat

Balat, next door, was long home to Jewish and Armenian communities, and its steep streets of painted houses, antique shops and small cafés are now a favourite for photographers. On the shore stands the Bulgarian St Stephen Church, prefabricated in cast iron and assembled here in the 1890s.

Respect the residents: these are lived-in streets, so photograph kindly and keep the noise down.

Chora and the walls

Uphill, the Chora (Kariye Mosque) holds some of the finest Byzantine mosaics and frescoes anywhere, and beyond it run the land walls of Theodosius.

Our advice: come in the morning, walk up from the Golden Horn through Fener and Balat to Chora, and finish with pide in Fatih.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Balat & Fener: the back story before you go.