Mavi Merdiven/ Blue Stairs

The Mavi Merdiven — Turkish for "Blue Stairs" — is a flight of steps painted in vivid blue, tucked into one of Istanbul's hilly residential neighborhoods and leading up to an ordinary apartment building. Istanbul's tradition of painted staircases traces back to a grassroots initiative around 2013, when a retired railway worker began coloring steps across the city, inspiring residents in multiple districts to follow suit. The bold blue stands out sharply against the pale plaster of the surrounding buildings and offers an open sightline over the rooftops below. It draws visitors primarily as a quiet photo stop — a small, resident-made detail rather than a formal attraction.