Balat first became home to a large Jewish population in the late 15th century, when Sultan Bayezid II offered citizenship to Jews and Muslims fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Africa, and the 1492 Alhambra Decree.
The city of Balat experienced an influx of Jewish residents in the late 15th century, following an offer of asylum by Sultan Bayezid II to those fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Africa, which was formalized by the 1492 Alhambra Decree.