Piri Reis

Piri Reis
Statue of Piri Reis in Karaman, Turkey
Born	Muhiddin Piri c. 1470 Ottoman Empire
Died	1553 (aged 82–83) Cairo, Egypt Eyalet, Ottoman Empire
Cause of death	Execution by beheading
Notable work	1513 world map Kitab-ı Bahriye
Relatives	Kemal Reis (uncle)

Piri Reis (Turkish: Pîrî Reis; born Muhiddin Piri; c. 1470–1553) was a sailor, commander, and mapmaker for the Ottoman Empire. He is best known for his 1513 world map and his sailing guide, the Kitab-ı Bahriye. His maps combined ancient sources, his own experiences, and new European discoveries.

The 1513 world map drew international attention. Scholars found it hundreds of years later during repairs on the Topkapı Palace. The palace in Istanbul was being turned into a museum. The map includes details from a now-lost map by Christopher Columbus.

Piri Reis was born around 1470 in Gelibolu (Gallipoli). He sailed from an early age with his uncle. His uncle was the pirate Kemal Reis. They fought in the western Mediterranean. The Ottoman Sultan brought them into the Ottoman Navy. Piri Reis earned the rank of reis (captain) and fought in the Ottoman–Venetian wars.

After his uncle died around 1511, Piri Reis returned to Gelibolu. There he began his maps. He created the 1513 world map. He likely made charts and notes for the Kitab-ı Bahriye. Piri Reis served in the 1517 Ottoman capture of Egypt. He gave his world map to Sultan Selim I.

Piri Reis completed two versions of the Kitab-ı Bahriye. Piri Reis dedicated both books to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He made the second version when asked by Grand Vizier Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha. Piri Reis finished the book by 1526. The second version had more details. His final work was a part of a 1528 world map.

Piri Reis became the grand admiral of the Ottoman Fleet in the Indian Ocean in 1546. He took back Aden from the Portuguese two years later. His ships fought in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. They stopped a rebellion in Aden (Yemen). He tried to take Hormuz Island in the 1550s, but he failed. Hormuz is an island at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The Portuguese controlled the island, and they fought off Piri Reis. He had to retreat into the Persian Gulf. For this, the empire killed Piri Reis in Cairo in 1553.

During his life, Piri Reis' maps were not praised or discussed much. Many copies of the Kitab-ı Bahriye were made after his death. When scholars found his first world map in 1929, people became more interested in his maps. It made his work a point of national pride for Turkey. Some writers claim the map shows Antarctica. Antarctica is the continent around the South Pole. It was not known during Piri Reis' life. Scientists say that the map and Antarctica's coast below the ice are very different. Historians say the map shows known and mythical places. The false claims have increased interest in Piri Reis.

Maps

• 
  1513 world map
• 
  Translation of the 1513 world map
• 
  Kitab-ı Bahriye showing Corsica
• 
  1528 world map

References

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