Travel from Europe to Istanbul in the 19th century and the Quarantine of Çanakkale

- There was the risk of disease transmission due to increased international marine traffic into the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century.
- The Ottoman government did take diseases like cholera and plague seriously.
- In 1835, in addition to the threat of cholera, the plague epidemic appeared in Çanakkale.
- The Ottoman government used a quarantine facility (lazaretto) at Çanakkale to vet visitors.
- The ships were subjected to quarantine for 20 to 25 days to control epidemics.

With the industrial revolution and the use of steam power in marine transportation, a significant increase in the number of expeditions from Europe to Turkey, especially to Istanbul, occurred. Infectious diseases, such as cholera and the plague, that were prevalent throughout a wide geographical area from India to Europe occasionally reached epidemic proportions during the 19th century. The extension of international trade made the port cities potential sources of contagious diseases throughout the Mediterranean. This article explores how Ottoman officials addressed the consequent risk of disease transmission. Quarantine structures were used to isolate maritime travellers and crew, called Lazarettos, were used in the framework of applications as determined by legal regulations. Generally, the days spent in quarantine, which exceeded the duration of the journey between destinations, as well as poor accommodation conditions negatively affected the travellers. The Ottoman state also attempted to enforce precautions against contagious diseases, such as cholera and the plague, as they were among greatest problems of that century. Due to the cholera epidemic in 1831, all ships that arrived in Istanbul from the Black Sea were placed under quarantine by the Ottoman state. In 1835, a quarantine centre was established in Çanakkale in an attempt to prevent the threat of epidemics from the Mediterranean area. The Istanbul Supreme Council of Sanitation was established in 1839. A consolidated International Sanitary Convention was agreed in 1903. These were early forms of global health governance.