Fener

Fener (Turkish pronunciation: [feˈnæɾ]; Greek: Φανάρι, romanized: Phanári), also spelled Phanar, is a quarter midway up the Golden Horn in the district of Fatih in Istanbul, Turkey.

The grand mansions between the main road and the shore of the Golden Horn were often used to store wood imported from the Black Sea (Pontos) area; one now houses Istanbul's Women's Library.

The Golden Horn ferry also stops at Fener, linking it to Üsküdar, Karaköy, Kasımpaşa, Balat, Ayvansaray, Hasköy, Sütlüce and Eyüp.

As a result, the term "Phanar" is sometimes used as a shorthand reference to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, just as "Vatican" is used for the Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church.

Another fire in 1941 did further damage to the older buildings in the compound; aside from the church itself and the brick-and-stone library at the end of the garden most of what a visitor sees today is fairly new.

The Middle Gate (Orta Kapı) leading into the compound has been sealed since the then Patriarch was hanged there in 1821 when Greece rebelled against Ottoman suzerainty.