Balat, Fatih

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Turkish. (May 2018) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 228 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Turkish Wikipedia article at [[:tr:Balat, Fatih]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|tr|Balat, Fatih}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Balat
Neighbourhood
Balat – colourful houses in the historic center
Balat Location in Turkey Show map of Turkey Balat Balat (Istanbul) Show map of Istanbul
Coordinates: 41°01′58″N 28°56′44″E / 41.0328°N 28.9456°E / 41.0328; 28.9456
Country	Turkey
Province	Istanbul
District	Fatih
Population  (2022)	11,656
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)

Balat is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Fatih, Istanbul Province, Turkey.^[1] Its population is 11,656 (2022).^[2] It is in the old city on the European side of Istanbul, on the western shore of the Golden Horn, sandwiched between Fener and Ayvansaray. Historically, it was the center of the Jewish community in Istanbul.

The name Balat is probably derived from Greek palation (palace), from Latin palatium, after the nearby Palace of Blachernae.^[3]

As in neighbouring Fener, Balat's back streets are lined with small stone two and three-storey terraced houses and a few grander mansions. In the 2020s, Balat become one of the hottest parts of the city for tourism, including domestic tourism, and many of the houses have been turned into cafes, restaurants and accommodation for visitors. Many of the houses have been repainted in bright colours to give a distinctive feel to the neighbourhood.^[4]

Balat is a stop on the T5 tramline connecting it to Cibali and the small bus terminal (for services to Anatolia) in Alibeyköy. The Golden Horn ferries also stop here, connecting Balat to Üsküdar, Karaköy, Kasımpaşa, Fener, Ayvansaray, Hasköy, Sütlüce and Eyüp.