Destinations
Cobbled Streets of Balat
Discover a different side of İstanbul’s historic quarter as you stroll through the cobbled streets of Balat along the Golden Horn.
The neighbourhood was a bustling commercial centre with many Jewish-owned shops and workshops, from glassmakers to antique dealers to fez makers. Even today, the neighbourhood is home to several important synagogues. The streets are lined with historic houses with their sweeping balconies and steep staircases that have stood the test of time and give the feeling of being transported back a hundred years. Modernity has not quite caught up with this eclectic neighbourhood, once a haven for various ethnic groups from Orthodox to Jews to Armenian Christians. Historic churches and synagogues can be found around every corner, full of heritage and history, waiting to be explored. Places of interest include the Ahrida Synagogue, the Yanbol Synagogue, the Church of St. Stephen the Bulgarian, and Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hamam.
The Multicolour of the Cumba Houses
What makes Fener and Balat special is the picturesque architecture of these districts. After the 20th century, the typical style of İstanbul’s residential architecture changed drastically. In Fener and Balat, however, the winds of change did not blow, and the neighbourhood was lucky not to be replaced by contemporary concrete and glass.
Instead, there are two-storey wooden houses built end to end, tapering in the middle to form what the Turks call a “Cumba”. The old İstanbulers used to sit on these small, enclosed balconies, sipping tea or Turkish coffee and watching the passers-by. This style of residential architecture can be seen all over these two districts, but the best place for a good photo on social media is the infamous Merdivenli Yokuş (literally, “Slope with stairs”). Colourful Cumba houses line up here, waiting for İstanbul’s many amateur and professional photographers.
Old World Charm
The Fener Quarter, a historic quarter on the Golden Horn, offers a glimpse of old İstanbul. The district is home to houses, churches and other buildings from the Eastern Roman and Ottoman periods, as well as the Orthodox Patriarchate. Although Fener was initially essentially a trading post, it eventually developed into an area of well-educated, cultured and often wealthy businessmen. Many were employed by the Ottoman state as translators and foreign dignitaries.
The atmospheric streets of Fener are ideal for strolling. Remarkable buildings, including the unusual Red School of Fener and St George’s Church, line the winding streets, while colourful cafés sit against the old Eastern Roman city walls, and a cycle path runs along the shore promenade of the Golden Horn. The area between Yıldırım and Vodina Streets near the shore of the Golden Horn is the liveliest part of Fener. On both sides, authentic and colourful cafés and restaurants line up to welcome their guests who want to explore Fener and take a break after taking pictures. If you climb up the following Camcı Çeşmesi slope, you can also see the famous colourful doors.
Looking at Fener from a distance, the first place that catches your eye with its red silhouette and magnificent architecture, which many say should actually be a church, is the Fener Rum High School, more commonly known as the Red School and some might hint that it looks like something poured from the pages of a Harry Potter novel.
