The Evolution of Transportation Safety: Hazardous Materials Transportation in The Ottoman Empire and Its Contemporary Reflections

Abstract

This study examines the safety practices related to the transportation of hazardous materials during the classical period of the Ottoman Empire (16th–18th centuries) based on archival documents and compares this historical background with the modern regulations applied in civil aviation. In the Ottoman era, the primary goal in transportation was to ensure safety due to limited infrastructure and high environmental risks. Today, a safety approach supported by international standards, technology, and institutional control mechanisms has been adopted. The study focuses on both the differences and the parallels between the two periods in terms of risk management, regulation, prohibition, and institutional responsibility. By discussing the historical continuity of safety culture and the reflections of “historical sustainability” and “collective memory” within the context of transport safety, this research provides an interdisciplinary perspective bridging past and present.