Balat & Fener: Greeks, Jews, and Armenians of Constantinople

The Ottoman Empire was a unique model of ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity that coexisted for centuries. How did the Greek and Christian inhabitants of the former Byzantine Empire live after the Ottoman conquest? Why did Sephardic Jews arrive from the Iberian Peninsula, and why do we still hear Ladino spoken in this region today? What led this once-prosperous neighborhood to fall into its current state of decline? In addition to colorful houses, antique shops, and picturesque cafés, the Fener and Balat neighborhoods have much to tell us.