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past… They are rather worse off in economic terms. The level of education is low.Migrants from the Black Sea region represent the majority of the inhabitants. The minoritieshave left one after the other.The emigration of the Jews in the 1950s and of the Greeks in the 1960s and 1970s has changedthat colourful character of Fener and Balat.Fener and Balat is famous with its historical and cultural importance as well as in symbolicterms as they house the Patriarchate of Fener and the Greek College whose foundation datesback to Byzantine times.The area is famous with its historical buildings made of stone, single-storied, decked withspecial decorations and lined up along narrow streets, many dating from the 17th century.Under the project, the historical architectural pattern of the buildings will be preserved andliving conditions of the inhabitants will be improved through rehabilitation of the basicinfrastructure.Programme ManagementA Project Management Unit (PMU) will be set up in order to implement the project. The PMUwill be responsible for the programming of the activities, the management of human andfinancial resources, the management of technical assistance, internal control of the activities,mediation and coordination between the various partners. The PMU shall prepare a GlobalImplementation Plan, covering the whole duration of the project within two months from itssetting up. The PMU will be managed two-co-directors and assisted by a technical team, theDistrict Workshop (DW).The District Workshop will set up the teams of the professionals involved in the rehabilitationof the buildings and will closely monitor the training of inhabitants and of the construction ofthe works (inventory of buildings, mapping, district plan…). An important component of theproject is participation of the inhabitants in the restoration activites. Inhabitants will be trainedto meet the requirements of the sectors dealt by the project such as electricity, carpentry,plumbing, painting, coating, etc…Tender ProcessSince the financing agreement has been signed by the EC and Turkish authorities in 27September 2000, the implementation of the programme will start soon. Pre-information noticewas published in the EC Offical Journal on 26 May 2000. After evaluation and preparation of ashortlist, a restricted tender for the establishment of the Programme management Unit will belaunched and short-listed bidders will be invited to submit their offers. After the selection ofthe successful bidder, the PMU will be established an start working. For services/supply/workscontracts, the tender documents will be prepared under the responsibility of the PMU with theassistance of the District Workshop.The Contracting Authority will be the Fatih Municipality for all contracts in the context of theproject, with the exception of the International Technical Assistance to the PMU and theDistrict Workshop, as well as audits and evaluations where the Contracting Authority will bethe EC.The Minority Quarter of the Old Istanbul…In his memoirs "From Balat to Batyam", Eli Saul, a Jewish writer who was born and grown upin Fener-Balat, describes the area, which is known as one of the richest residential and culturalcentres of the old Istanbul, in the following words…"From 1900 to 1950, Balat looked like a small Jewish town. The Jews formed the majority of