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The exact
date when Piri Reis, a famous sailor, cartographer,
geographer and researcher, was born is not known.
According to the first written biography of Piri Reis by
Sinoplu Safai, his birth date is generally considered as
1470. However, after the examinations of his works
nowadays there is a probability that it could be 1465.
Although he was born and raised in Gelibolu it is known
that his ancestors are a Turkish family, whom migrated
from Anatolia (Larende-Karaman) to Gelibolu two or three
generations before
It is considered that the person influenced Piri Reis to
be a sailor is his uncle Kemal Reis. He is also the one
who helped Piri Reis to develop his scientific
characteristics as a researcher and a scientist. Kemal
Reis, having a great deal of importance in the Ottoman
Naval History, was famous for being a raider sailor of
the Mediterranean Sea and a Turkish Admiral in the XVIth
century before Barbaros Hayreddin. Piri Reis was a
raider sailor with his uncle in the Western
Mediterranean and the coasts of Spain until 1492; then
he served the Ottoman Empire after a proposal from
Sultan Beyazid the Second. After the death of his uncle
Kemal Reis in 1510, he came back to Gelibolu and started
his studies on his book “Bahriye”. He joined and served
as one of the admirals of the Ottoman Empire Navy in the
Egypt expedition of Yavuz Sultan Selim conducted in 1517
and he presented his map dated 1513 to Yavuz Sultan
Selim. In the following years, with the suggestion and
support of the Grand Vizier İbrahim Pasha, Piri Reis
completed his studies on the book which was a draft and
in 1526, presented it to Kanuni Sultan Suleyman. In 1528
completing the Map of Northern America he presented it
to the Sultan.
The Egypt expedition was the last and the most tragic
mission of Piri Reis’s long life. In 1552, he was
imprisoned in Egypt because he left his fleet behind in
the final destination of his second expedition for
repair, logistic needs and for his men to get some rest
in Basra, and cruised back to Egypt with his ship full
of loot. As a result of the complaints made by Kubad
Pasha, the Governor of Basra to Kanuni Sultan Suleyman;
Piri Reis was blamed with improper service and was
sentenced to death in 1554.
Piri Reis besides being a unique expert of cartography
and navigation in his era with his uncle are great
admirals who have made great marks in the naval history
of the Ottoman Empire. Piri Reis is the pioneer of
Cartography in the Ottoman Naval History and the world
map of 1513, the map of Northern America of 1528 and his
book “Bahriye” have awoken a great deal of admiration in
the world.
NOTE: The article is based on Vice General Cevat
Ulkekul’s unpublished book “A 16th Century Sailor
Scientist: Piri Reis with His Life and Works”.
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