Balat in Istanbul: Where Colorful Facades Tell of a Multivocal Heritage

Istanbul - 24 July 2026: A recent report from the French midday news program takes viewers to Balat, the old neighborhood in Istanbul's Fatih district, whose house facades in pink, ochre, blue and mint green have become some of the metropolis's most photographed sights. Yet behind the carefully composed images of narrow streets lies a district whose appeal stems above all from its rich historical diversity.Balat lies on the southern shore of the Golden Horn, the deeply indented inlet that divides European Istanbul. Its steep streets and tightly packed wooden ...