Fatih -- Friends roll their eyes whenever I say I've been to Fatih; the entire district has been pigeon-holed as a place only fundamentalists could love. But the district is as diverse as the mosaic that makes up the rest of the city, and one cannot lump the "feel" of the more middle class Yenikapi or Samatya with the shadowy (chador-y) figures of Çarsamba. As citizens from the lowest economic rungs arrive in droves from the outer provinces, however, this stereotype may in fact prove all too apt.
Ayvansaray, Balat & Fener -- When Fatih Mehmet the Conqueror proclaimed freedom to all despite race or religion, many of the Greeks who had fled the city under siege, plus others, settled in this neighborhood. These Greeks were known as "Phanariots" and were an integral part of Ottoman life. Many of the stately homes, schools, monasteries, and churches date to this period of prosperity. Built on one of the city's seven central hills, this neighborhood was called Petrion (rock) by the Byzantines, and it was primarily inhabited by Rum. To the north, bordering the Fener neighborhood, the community, predominantly Balat Jews, was represented by its share of influential politicians, physicians, and diplomats. But in spite of the relative prosperity of the neighborhood, Balat never quite rose to the level of neighboring Fener and still maintains the stigma of being Fener's poorer cousin.
