Street life Photography: Balat a neighborhood of immigrants

"Photography is the art of Observation.

It's about creating something extraordinary out of the ordinary.

You choose a frame and then wait until the right time for something magical to come along and fill it. " Elliot Erwitt

Balat's original community was made up of Jews form Macedonia. However in 1492 Sultan Beyazid II invited the Spanish Jews who had been expelled by Ferninand and İsabel to settle here, thus superimposing a population of Jueo-Espanyol speakers (and latino writers) on the original Greek speakers. Later more refugees arrived first from Portugal then from Rhodes, and Balat became known as "Yahudi Balat" (Jewish Balat).

High School of the Greek Orthodox Community.

Balat's Old Houses.

Although there were once 19 synagogues in the area, no more than handful of Jews still live in Balat, most of them long ago emigrated to İsrael and their place have been taken by poor imigrants from Eastern Turkey.

Many of the houses and shops along this street have been restored by the European Union and UNESCO. At is easterly end where Balat merges into Fener there's a large walled compound with and old brick building clinging on to the one end.

Wall were Balat merges into Fener.

İronically, Balat takes its name from the Greek word "palation" (palace) a reference to its proximity to the Balchernae Palace.

Three story houses

The houses are usually three-story, narrow front face, which come as second and third floors, and big windows in the buildings.

View of the Golden Horn from one of the streets.

Balat street scenes.

İt is common to find kids playing on the streets.

İf you walk along Leblebiciler Caddesi you will come to Balat's atractively old fashioned shopping area, where small family-owned shops are accommodated in a variety of buildings of different ages.