Balat
Balat is a neighbourhood located in Fatih district of Fatih district on the European side of Istanbul, on the Golden Horn coast, between Ayvansaray and Fener districts. In 2008, it was formed by merging the neighbourhoods of Katip Musluhiddin, Tevkii Cafer, Hızır Çavuş, Tahta Minare and Hatip Musluhittin.
The special importance of Balat in the history of Istanbul is that Jews from Spain settled here and this neighbourhood continued to be the main Jewish neighbourhood in Istanbul until recent times. In addition, the settlement of Jews in the Balat neighbourhood also attracted Georgian Jews to the area. Sephardic Jews fleeing from the Inquisition in Spain had come to Istanbul upon the invitation of Bayezid II. From the 15th century onwards, Istanbul's Jewish community lived in Balat and Hasköy across the Golden Horn.
