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Piri Reis (full name Hadji Muhiddin Piri Ibn Hadji Mehmed, reis/rais is Turkish and Arabic for captain) (about 1465–1554 or 1555) was an Ottoman-Turkish Kaptan-ı Derya, geographer and cartographer born between 1465 and 1470 in Gallipoli on the Aegean coast of Turkey.

He is primarily known today for his maps and charts collected in his Kitab-ı Bahriye (Book of Navigation), a book which contains detailed information on navigation as well as very accurate for its time charts describing the important ports and cities of the Mediterranean Sea. He gained fame as a cartographer when a small part of his first world map (prepared in 1513) was discovered in 1929 at Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. His world map is the oldest known Turkish atlas showing the New World, and one of the oldest maps of America still in existence in the world. (The oldest known map of America that is still in existence is the map drawn by Juan de la Cosa in 1500, which is conserved in the Naval Museum (Museo Naval) of Madrid, Spain.) Piri Reis' map is centered in Sahara at the Tropic of Cancer latitude.^[1]

In 1528 Piri Reis drew a second world map, of which a small fragment showing Greenland and North America from Labrador and Newfoundland in the north to Florida, Cuba and parts of Central America in the south. According to his imprinting text he had drawn his maps using about twenty foreign charts and mappa mundi (Arab, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Indian and Greek) included one of Christopher Columbus^[2].

Biography

Little is known about the identity of Piri Reis. Even the name roughly translated means "sea captain"^[3]. His origin is debatable, with sources referring to him as Christian, possibly Greek ^[4], Greek ^[5], Jew ^[6], or ethnic Turk ^[7]. Hadji Ahmed Muhiddin Piri ^[8] was born either in Gallipoli of the European part of the Ottoman Empire ^[9] ^[10] or in Karaman, central Anatolia ^[11], but the exact date of his birth is unknown. He was son of Hadji Mehmed Piri, brother of the Admiral Kemal Reis ^[12] and began engaging in piracy when he was young, in 1481, following his uncle Kemal Reis, a well-known pirate and seafarer of the time who later became famous Admiral of the Ottoman fleet. ^[13] During the periods the Ottomans were at war, together with his uncle, he participated for many years in the naval fights against Spanish, Genoese and Venetian, including the First Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Zonchio) in 1499 and Second Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Modon) in 1500. When his uncle Kemal Reis died in 1511, Piri returned to Gallipoli and began to write his book about navigation.

By 1516 he was again at sea as a ship's captain in the Ottoman fleet. He took part in the 1516–17 campaign against Egypt. In 1522 he participated in the siege of Rhodes against the Knights of St. John which ended with the island's surrender to the Ottomans on 25 December 1522 and the permanent departure of the Knights from Rhodes on 1 January 1523. In 1524 he captained the ship that took the Ottoman Grand Vizier Makbul Ibrahim Pasha to Egypt.

In 1547, Piri had risen to the rank of Reis (admiral) as commander of the Ottoman fleet in the Indian Ocean and admiral of the fleet in Egypt, headquartered at Suez. On 26 February 1548 he recaptured Aden from the Portuguese, followed in 1552 by the capture of Muscat, which Portugal had occupied since 1507, and the important island of Kish. Turning further east, Piri Reis captured the island of Hormuz in the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance of the Persian Gulf. When the Portuguese turned their attention to the Persian Gulf, Piri Reis occupied the Qatar peninsula and the island of Bahrain to deprive the Portuguese of suitable bases on the Arabian coast.

He then returned to Egypt, an old man approaching the age of 90. When he refused to support the Ottoman governor of Basra, Kubad Pasha, in another campaign against the Portuguese in the northern Persian Gulf, Piri Reis was publicly beheaded in 1554 or 1555.

Several warships and submarines of the Turkish Navy have been named after Piri Reis.

Kitab-ı Bahriye (Book of Navigation): 1521 and 1525

Piri Reis is the author of the Kitab-ı Bahriye one of the most famous pre modern books of navigation including a world map. Although he was not an explorer and never sailed to the Atlantic, by making use, according to the imprinting, of about twenty Arab, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Indian and older Greek maps^[14], he managed to give a comprehensive representation of the known world of his era including the recently explored shores of both Atlantic African and American continents (imprinted "These lands and islands are drawn from map of Columbus")[1]. In his text he is also giving as source "maps drawn in the time of Alexander the Great", but most likely he had mistakenly confused the ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy of the 2nd century AD with the same named General of Alexander (of six centuries before) since his map is similar with the Johannes de Stobnicza famous reproduction map of Ptolemy, printed at 1512^[15]. The ancient book had been translated in Turkish after a personal order of Mehmed II some decades before^[16]. The Columbus origin of the Atlantic part of the map is confirmed by the contained errors (such as Columbus’ belief that Cuba was a continental peninsula)^[17] since at the time the manuscript produced, the Spaniards were already for two years in Mexico. Apart of the maps, the book also contained detailed information on the major ports, bays, gulfs, capes, peninsulas, islands, straits and ideal shelters of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as techniques of navigation and navigation-related information on astronomy, together with information about the local people of each country and city and the curious aspects of their culture. There are thirty legends around the world map, twenty-nine in Turkish and one in Arabic, the latter is giving the date as the Muharrem month of 919 AH (corresponding to spring 1513 AD) but most studies identify as more probable date the 1521^[18]^[19]^[20]. It was revised in 1524-5 with additional information and better-crafted charts in order to be presented as a gift to Suleiman I. The revised edition had a total of 434 pages containing 290 maps.

Kitab-ı Bahriye has two main sections, with the first section dedicated to information about the types of storms, techniques of using a compass, portolan charts with detailed information on ports and coastlines, methods of finding direction using the stars, characteristics of the major oceans and the lands around them. Special emphasis is given to the discoveries in the New World by Christopher Columbus and those of Vasco da Gama and the other Portuguese seamen on their way to India and the rest of Asia.

The second section is entirely composed of portolan charts and cruise guides. Each topic contains the map of an island or coastline. In the first book (1521), this section has a total of 132 portolan charts, while the second book (1525) has a total of 210 portolan charts. The second section starts with the description of the Dardanelles Strait and continues with the islands and coastlines of the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Adriatic Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, the French Riviera, the Balearic Islands, the coasts of Spain, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, the coasts of North Africa, Egypt and the River Nile, the Levant and the coastline of Anatolia. This section also includes descriptions and drawings of the famous monuments and buildings in every city, as well as biographic information about Piri Reis who also explains the reasons why he preferred to collect these charts in a book instead of drawing a single map, which would not be able to contain so much information and detail.

A century after Piri's death and during the second half of the 17th century a third version of his book was produced which left the text of the second version unaffected while enriching the cartographical part of the manuscript. It included additional new large-scale maps mostly copies of Italian (from Battista Agnese and Jacopo Gastaldi) and Dutch (Abraham Ortelius) works of the previous century. These maps were much more accurate and depict the Black Sea which was not comprised in the original^[21]

Copies of the Kitab-ı Bahriye are found in many libraries and museums around the world.

Copies of the first edition (1521) are found in the Topkapı Palace, the Nuruosmaniye Library and the Süleymaniye Library in Istanbul, the Library of the University of Bologna, the National Library of Vienna, the State Library of Dresden, the National Library of France in Paris, the British Museum in London, the Bodleian Library in Oxford and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.

Copies of the second edition (1525) are found in the Topkapı Palace, the Köprülüzade Fazıl Ahmed Paşa Library, the Süleymaniye Library and the National Library of France.

References

^ Soucek, S. “Islamic Charting in the Mediterranean,” In J.B. Harley and D. Woodward, eds.[I] Cartography in the Traditional Islamic and South Asian Societies[/I]. Vol. 2, book 1, 263–272. 1992. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
^ Trading Territories: Mapping the Early Modern World, Jerry Brotton, Reaktion Books, ISBN 978-1861890115, p.108
^ Trading territories: mapping the early modern world, Jerry Brotton, Reaktion Books, ISBN 978-1861890115, 2003, p.193, reference to: Piri Reis Kitab-i-Bahriye, I(Istanbul 1988)
^ Rutenburg, Viktor (1988). Feudal society and its culture. Progress Publishers. p. 176. ISBN 9785010005283.
^ The Near East in history: a 5000 year story, Philip Khûri Hitti, 1961, p.333 Van Nostrand
^ Pirates and the Lost Templar Fleet: The Secret Naval War Between the Knights Templar and the Vatican, David Hatcher Childress, Adventures Unlimited Press, ISBN 978-1931882187, p.118
^ The History of Cartography, Cartography in the Traditional Islamic and South Asian Societies, J. B. Harley, David Woodward, page 267, 1992...Turk originally from the Anatolian province of Karaman, and we may assume the same origin for Had Mehmed...
^ Maps of the ancient sea kings: evidence of advanced civilization in the ice age,Charles H. Hapgood,246, 1966He was born at the town of Karaman, near Konya, Turkey
^ Other routes: 1500 years of African and Asian travel writing, Tabish Khair, page 127, 2006Muhuddin Piri Reis was born at the naval base of Gelibolu(later known to "Westerners" as Gallipoli during the First World War) as a nephew of Kemal Reis, the most famous Turkish admiral and privateer or "corsair" of the period. He seems to have joined his uncle's ship at the age of 11 or 12...
^ Venice and the Islamic world, 828-1797, Stefano Carboni, page 311, 2007Piri Re'is, the nephew of a well-known Turkish mariner, learned seafaring and navigation from his uncle while both ... In 1511, Piri Re'is returned to his hometown of Gallipoli on the Dardanelles
^ Maps of the ancient sea kings: evidence of advanced civilization in the ice age,Charles H. Hapgood,246, 1966He was born at the town of Karaman, near Konya, Turkey. The exact date of his birth is unknown. In his early youth he joined his uncle Kemal Reis...Piri Reis whose, real name was Ahmet Muhiddin stayed with the Ottoman fleet during the reigns of Yavuz Selim and Suleiman the Magnificent...
^ Beyond the Pillars of Gibraltar, Gene Weed, page 24, 2004...This map was drawn by Piri Ibn Haji Mehmed, known as the nephew of Kemal Reis, in Gallipoli, in the month of muharrem of the year 919...
^ Other routes: 1500 years of African and Asian travel writing, Tabish Khair, page 127, 2006Muhuddin Piri Reis was born at the naval base of Gelibolu(later known to "Westerners" as Gallipoli during the First World War) as a nephew of Kemal Reis, the most famous Turkish admiral and privateer or "corsair" of the period. He seems to have joined his uncle's ship at the age of 11 or 12...
^ Trading territories: mapping the early modern world, Jerry Brotton, Reaktion Books, ISBN 978-1861890115, 2003, p.108
^ Beyond the Pillars of Gibraltar, Leon E. Weed, ISBN 1-4116-0946-8, p.20,
^ Piri Reis & Turkish mapmaking after Columbus,Svatopluk Soucek, Muʾassasat Nūr al-Ḥusayn, Kha, ISBN 978-0197275016, 1996, p.73
^ The Map of America by Pîrî Reis, Professsor Sevim Tekeli, Foundation of Science Technology and Civilisation, Ankara 2005
^ Trading territories: mapping the early modern world, Jerry Brotton, Cornell University Press, ISBN 978-0801434990, 1998, p.110
^ The Cambridge illustrated history of the Islamic world, Francis Robinson, Cambridge University Press, 1998 p.70
^ Turkish studies in the history and philosophy of science, Gürol Irzik,Güven Güzeldere, Springer, 2005, ISBN 978-1402033322, p.286
^ Dimitris Loupis, Piri Reis' Book on Navigation (Kitab-i Bahriyye) as a Geography Handbook, Bilkent University, p.39

External links

[[Category:History of the Ottoman Emipre]

[1] Soucek, S. “Islamic Charting in the Mediterranean,” In J.B. Harley and D. Woodward, eds.[I] Cartography in the Traditional Islamic and South Asian Societies[/I]. Vol. 2, book 1, 263–272. 1992. Chicago: University of Chicago Press

[2] Trading Territories: Mapping the Early Modern World, Jerry Brotton, Reaktion Books, ISBN 978-1861890115, p.108

[3] Trading territories: mapping the early modern world, Jerry Brotton, Reaktion Books, ISBN 978-1861890115, 2003, p.193, reference to: Piri Reis Kitab-i-Bahriye, I(Istanbul 1988)

[4] Rutenburg, Viktor (1988). Feudal society and its culture. Progress Publishers. p. 176. ISBN 9785010005283.

[5] The Near East in history: a 5000 year story, Philip Khûri Hitti, 1961, p.333 Van Nostrand

[6] Pirates and the Lost Templar Fleet: The Secret Naval War Between the Knights Templar and the Vatican, David Hatcher Childress, Adventures Unlimited Press, ISBN 978-1931882187, p.118

[7] The History of Cartography, Cartography in the Traditional Islamic and South Asian Societies, J. B. Harley, David Woodward, page 267, 1992...Turk originally from the Anatolian province of Karaman, and we may assume the same origin for Had Mehmed...

[8] Maps of the ancient sea kings: evidence of advanced civilization in the ice age,Charles H. Hapgood,246, 1966He was born at the town of Karaman, near Konya, Turkey

[9] Other routes: 1500 years of African and Asian travel writing, Tabish Khair, page 127, 2006Muhuddin Piri Reis was born at the naval base of Gelibolu(later known to "Westerners" as Gallipoli during the First World War) as a nephew of Kemal Reis, the most famous Turkish admiral and privateer or "corsair" of the period. He seems to have joined his uncle's ship at the age of 11 or 12...

[10] Venice and the Islamic world, 828-1797, Stefano Carboni, page 311, 2007Piri Re'is, the nephew of a well-known Turkish mariner, learned seafaring and navigation from his uncle while both ... In 1511, Piri Re'is returned to his hometown of Gallipoli on the Dardanelles

[11] Maps of the ancient sea kings: evidence of advanced civilization in the ice age,Charles H. Hapgood,246, 1966He was born at the town of Karaman, near Konya, Turkey. The exact date of his birth is unknown. In his early youth he joined his uncle Kemal Reis...Piri Reis whose, real name was Ahmet Muhiddin stayed with the Ottoman fleet during the reigns of Yavuz Selim and Suleiman the Magnificent...

[12] Beyond the Pillars of Gibraltar, Gene Weed, page 24, 2004...This map was drawn by Piri Ibn Haji Mehmed, known as the nephew of Kemal Reis, in Gallipoli, in the month of muharrem of the year 919...

[13] Other routes: 1500 years of African and Asian travel writing, Tabish Khair, page 127, 2006Muhuddin Piri Reis was born at the naval base of Gelibolu(later known to "Westerners" as Gallipoli during the First World War) as a nephew of Kemal Reis, the most famous Turkish admiral and privateer or "corsair" of the period. He seems to have joined his uncle's ship at the age of 11 or 12...

[14] Trading territories: mapping the early modern world, Jerry Brotton, Reaktion Books, ISBN 978-1861890115, 2003, p.108

[15] Beyond the Pillars of Gibraltar, Leon E. Weed, ISBN 1-4116-0946-8, p.20,

[16] Piri Reis & Turkish mapmaking after Columbus,Svatopluk Soucek, Muʾassasat Nūr al-Ḥusayn, Kha, ISBN 978-0197275016, 1996, p.73

[17] The Map of America by Pîrî Reis, Professsor Sevim Tekeli, Foundation of Science Technology and Civilisation, Ankara 2005

[18] Trading territories: mapping the early modern world, Jerry Brotton, Cornell University Press, ISBN 978-0801434990, 1998, p.110

[19] The Cambridge illustrated history of the Islamic world, Francis Robinson, Cambridge University Press, 1998 p.70

[20] Turkish studies in the history and philosophy of science, Gürol Irzik,Güven Güzeldere, Springer, 2005, ISBN 978-1402033322, p.286

[21] Dimitris Loupis, Piri Reis' Book on Navigation (Kitab-i Bahriyye) as a Geography Handbook, Bilkent University, p.39

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@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 == Biography ==
+Little is known about the identity of Piri Reis. Even the name roughly translated means "sea captain"<ref>Trading territories: mapping the early modern world, Jerry Brotton, Reaktion Books, ISBN 978-1861890115, 2003, p.193, reference to: Piri Reis Kitab-i-Bahriye, I(Istanbul 1988)</ref>. His origin is debatable, with sources referring to him as Christian, possibly Greek
-Piri Reis full name was Hadji Ahmed Muhiddin Piri<ref>Maps of the ancient sea kings: evidence of advanced civilization in the ice age,Charles H. Hapgood,246, 1966
+<ref>{{cite book|title=Feudal society and its culture|first=Viktor |last=Rutenburg|publisher=Progress Publishers|year=1988|isbn= 9785010005283|page=176}}</ref>,
-''He was born at the town of Karaman, near Konya, Turkey. The exact date of his birth is unknown. In his early youth he joined his uncle Kemal Reis...Piri Reis whose, real name was Ahmet Muhiddin stayed with the Ottoman fleet during the reigns of Yavuz Selim and Suleiman the Magnificent...''</ref>, he was the son of  Hadji Mehmed<ref>Beyond the Pillars of Gibraltar, Gene Weed, page 24, 2004
+Greek
-''...This map was drawn by Piri Ibn Haji Mehmed, known as the nephew of Kemal Reis, in Gallipoli, in the month of muharrem of the year 919...''</ref><ref>Western structures meet native traditions, Cheryl Woolsey Des Jarlais, page 51, 2008
+<ref>The Near East in history: a 5000 year story, Philip Khûri Hitti, 1961, p.333 Van Nostrand</ref>,
-''...was drawn up in 1513 Turkish admiral, Piri Ibn Haji Mehmed...''</ref>
+Jew
-, the brother of the famous [[Kemal Reis]]<ref>The History of Cartography, Cartography in the Traditional Islamic and South Asian Societies, J. B. Harley, David Woodward, page 267, 1992
+<ref>Pirates and the Lost Templar Fleet: The Secret Naval War Between the Knights Templar and the Vatican, David Hatcher Childress, Adventures Unlimited Press, ISBN 978-1931882187, p.118</ref>,
-''...Turk originally from the Anatolian province of Karaman, and we may assume the same origin for Had Mehmed...''</ref><ref>Other routes: 1500 years of African and Asian travel writing, Tabish Khair, page 127, 2006
+or ethnic Turk
-''Muhuddin Piri Reis was born at the naval base of Gelibolu(later known to "Westerners" as Gallipoli during the First World War) as a nephew of Kemal Reis, the most famous Turkish admiral and privateer or "corsair" of the period. He seems to have joined his uncle's ship at the age of 11 or 12...''</ref>.
+<ref>The History of Cartography, Cartography in the Traditional Islamic and South Asian Societies, J. B. Harley, David Woodward, page 267, 1992''...Turk originally from the Anatolian province of Karaman, and we may assume the same origin for Had Mehmed...''</ref>.
-He was likely born as a [[Muslim]] [[Turk]]<ref>Venice and the Islamic world, 828-1797, Stefano Carboni, page 311, 2007
+Hadji Ahmed Muhiddin Piri
-''Piri Re'is, the nephew of a well-known Turkish mariner, learned seafaring and navigation from his uncle while both were serving in the Ottoman navy...''</ref><ref>The History and Future of Narragansett Bay, Capers Jones, page 52, 2006
+<ref>Maps of the ancient sea kings: evidence of advanced civilization in the ice age,Charles H. Hapgood,246, 1966''He was born at the town of Karaman, near Konya, Turkey''</ref>
-''...In 1513, Piri Ibn Haji Mehmed, a Turkish admiral...''</ref><ref>Beyond the Pillars of Gibraltar, Gene Weed, page 24, 2004
+was born either in Gallipoli of the European part of the Ottoman Empire
-''...This map was drawn by Piri Ibn Haji Mehmed, known as the nephew of Kemal Reis, in Gallipoli, in the month of muharrem of the year 919...''</ref><ref>Western structures meet native traditions, Cheryl Woolsey Des Jarlais, page 51, 2008
+<ref>Other routes: 1500 years of African and Asian travel writing, Tabish Khair, page 127, 2006''Muhuddin Piri Reis was born at the naval base of Gelibolu(later known to "Westerners" as Gallipoli during the First World War) as a nephew of Kemal Reis, the most famous Turkish admiral and privateer or "corsair" of the period. He seems to have joined his uncle's ship at the age of 11 or 12...''</ref>
-''...was drawn up in 1513 Turkish admiral, Piri Ibn Haji Mehmed...''</ref>
+<ref>Venice and the Islamic world, 828-1797, Stefano Carboni, page 311, 2007''Piri Re'is, the nephew of a well-known Turkish mariner, learned seafaring and navigation from his uncle while both ... In 1511, Piri Re'is returned to his hometown of Gallipoli on the Dardanelles''</ref>
-<ref> Turkey, Pat Yale, Jean-Bernard Carillet, Virginia Maxwell, page 157: ''...The tower is named after the famous Turkish cartographer Piri Reis...''</ref><ref>Turkey, Verity Campbell, page 182: ''...the Turkish cartographer Piri Reis...''</ref><ref> Weekly World News of 7 june 1988, page 5: ''...by a famed 16th century Turkish admiral and mapmaker, Piri Re'is...''</ref><ref>The Balkans since 1453, Leften Stavros Stavrianos, Traian Stoianovich, page 132: ''...Piri Reis, the outstanding Turkish cartographer of the sixteenth century, won international recognition for his geographical book on the Mediterranean Sea...''</ref><ref>100 of the world's greatest mysteries, E. Randall Floyd, page 50: ''...The so-called Piri Re'is map-named after the famous Turkish admiral who created it in 1513...''</ref> (this information is based on the fact that his father has a muslim name and his uncle is Kemal Reis, who is likely a muslim Turk from Karaman)
+or in Karaman, central Anatolia
-between 1465 and 1470 in [[Gallipoli]], part of the [[Ottoman Empire]]<ref>Other routes: 1500 years of African and Asian travel writing, Tabish Khair, page 127, 2006
+<ref>Maps of the ancient sea kings: evidence of advanced civilization in the ice age,Charles H. Hapgood,246, 1966''He was born at the town of Karaman, near Konya, Turkey. The exact date of his birth is unknown. In his early youth he joined his uncle Kemal Reis...Piri Reis whose, real name was Ahmet Muhiddin stayed with the Ottoman fleet during the reigns of Yavuz Selim and Suleiman the Magnificent...''</ref>,
-''Muhuddin Piri Reis was born at the naval base of Gelibolu(later known to "Westerners" as Gallipoli during the First World War) as a nephew of Kemal Reis, the most famous Turkish admiral and privateer or "corsair" of the period. He seems to have joined his uncle's ship at the age of 11 or 12...''</ref>.
+but the exact date of his birth is unknown.
-Piri was the nephew of the famous [[Kemal Reis]]. The family was originally from [[Karaman]], Central Anatolia.<ref>The History of Cartography, Cartography in the Traditional Islamic and South Asian Societies, J. B. Harley, David Woodward, page 267, 1992
+He was son of Hadji Mehmed Piri, brother of the Admiral [[Kemal Reis]]
-''...Turk originally from the Anatolian province of Karaman, and we may assume the same origin for Had Mehmed...''</ref>
+<ref>Beyond the Pillars of Gibraltar, Gene Weed, page 24, 2004''...This map was drawn by Piri Ibn Haji Mehmed, known as the nephew of Kemal Reis, in Gallipoli, in the month of muharrem of the year 919...''</ref>
+and began engaging in piracy when he was young, in 1481, following his uncle [[Kemal Reis]], a well-known pirate and seafarer of the time who later became famous Admiral of the Ottoman fleet.
+<ref>Other routes: 1500 years of African and Asian travel writing, Tabish Khair, page 127, 2006''Muhuddin Piri Reis was born at the naval base of Gelibolu(later known to "Westerners" as Gallipoli during the First World War) as a nephew of Kemal Reis, the most famous Turkish admiral and privateer or "corsair" of the period. He seems to have joined his uncle's ship at the age of 11 or 12...''</ref>
+During the periods the Ottomans were at war, together with his uncle, he participated for many years in the naval fights against [[Spain|Spanish]], [[Genoa|Genoese]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]], including the [[Battle of Zonchio|First Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Zonchio)]] in 1499 and [[Battle of Lepanto (1500)|Second Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Modon)]] in 1500. When his uncle Kemal Reis died in 1511, Piri returned to [[Gallipoli]] and began to write his book about navigation.
+By 1516 he was again at sea as a ship's captain in the Ottoman fleet. He took part in the 1516&ndash;17 campaign against [[Egypt]]. In 1522 he participated in the siege of [[Rhodes]] against the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of St. John]] which ended with the island's surrender to the Ottomans on 25 December 1522 and the permanent departure of the Knights from Rhodes on 1 January 1523. In 1524 he captained the ship that took the Ottoman [[Vizier|Grand Vizier]] [[Pargalı İbrahim Pasha|Makbul Ibrahim Pasha]] to Egypt.
-However there are some sources, which write about [[Piri Reis]]' possibly [[Christian]] [[Greek]] origin<ref>{{cite book|title=Feudal society and its culture|first=Viktor |last=Rutenburg|publisher=Progress Publishers|year=1988|isbn= 9785010005283|page=176}}</ref><ref>The Near East in history: a 5000 year story, Philip Khûri Hitti, 1961, p.333 Van Nostrand</ref>,or a Jew<ref>Pirates and the Lost Templar Fleet: The Secret Naval War Between the Knights Templar and the Vatican, David Hatcher Childress, Adventures Unlimited Press, ISBN 978-1931882187, p.118</ref>, but it is not known on what the authors have based this information on. They don't mention about Piri's uncle [[Kemal Reis]] and Piri's father. Most other authors don't mention anything about this possibly [[Christian]] [[Greek]] or [[Jew]] origin of Piri Reis. The author, who writes about Piri's possible Jewish origin claims no academic credentials as a professional archaeologist nor in any other scientific field of study.<ref name=sula>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Atlantis, Ho! |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/roguearchaeologist |quote= |work=[[Chicago Reader]] |date=September 8, 2006 |accessdate=2009-01-02 }}</ref>
+In 1547, Piri had risen to the rank of Reis (admiral) as commander of the Ottoman fleet in the [[Indian Ocean]] and admiral of the fleet in Egypt, headquartered at [[Suez]]. On 26 February 1548 he recaptured [[Aden]] from the [[Portugal|Portuguese]], followed in 1552 by the capture of [[Muscat, Oman|Muscat]], which Portugal had occupied since 1507, and the important island of [[Kish, Iran|Kish]]. Turning further east, Piri Reis captured the island of [[Hormuz Island|Hormuz]] in the [[Strait of Hormuz]], at the entrance of the [[Persian Gulf]]. When the Portuguese turned their attention to the Persian Gulf, Piri Reis occupied the [[Qatar]] peninsula and the island of [[Bahrain]] to deprive the Portuguese of suitable bases on the [[Arabian peninsula|Arabian]] coast.
-Young Piri joined his uncle [[Kemal Reis]], a well-known privateer and seafarer of the time. When the Ottomans were at war, together with his uncle and until his death he participated for many years in the fights against Christian navies [[Spain|Spanish]], [[Genoa|Genoese]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]], including the [[Battle of Zonchio|First Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Zonchio)]] in 1499 and [[Battle of Lepanto (1500)|Second Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Modon)]] in 1500.
-When his uncle Kemal Reis died in 1511, Piri returned to [[Gallipoli]] and began to write his book ''Kitab-ı Bahriye'' (''Book of Navigation''). In 1513 he produced [[Piri Reis map|his first world map]], the startling accuracy of which is still a mystery. The hypothesis has been that said map was based on some 20 older maps and charts which he had collected, including charts personally designed by [[Christopher Columbus]]. Recent discoveries and a deeper understanding of his Books of navigation prove that this was far from the case.
+He then returned to Egypt, an old man approaching the age of 90. When he refused to support the Ottoman governor of [[Basra]], Kubad Pasha, in another campaign against the Portuguese in the northern Persian Gulf, Piri Reis was publicly beheaded in 1554 or 1555.
-By 1516 he was again at sea, as a ship's captain in the Ottoman fleet. He took part in the 1516–17 campaign against Egypt, and in 1517 was able to show his world map to Sultan Selim I. In 1521 he finished his Kitab-ı Bahriye. In 1522 he participated in the siege of Rhodes against the Knights of St. John which ended with the island's surrender to the Ottomans on 25 December 1522 and the permanent departure of the Knights from Rhodes on 1 January 1523. In 1524 he captained the ship that took the Ottoman Grand Vizier Makbul Ibrahim Pasha to Egypt. Following the Vizier's advice, he edited his book and was able to present it to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1525. Three years later he presented his second world map to Suleiman.
+Several warships and submarines of the [[Turkish Navy]] have been named after Piri Reis.
-By 1547, Piri had risen to the rank of Reis (admiral) and was in command of the Ottoman fleet in the Indian Ocean and admiral of the fleet in Egypt, headquartered at Suez. On 26 February 1548 he recaptured Aden from the Portuguese, followed in 1552 by the capture of Muscat, which Portugal had occupied since 1507, and the important island of Kish. Turning further east, Piri Reis captured the island of Hormuz in the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance of the Persian Gulf. When the Portuguese turned their attention to the Persian Gulf, Piri Reis occupied the Qatar peninsula and the island of Bahrain to deprive the Portuguese of suitable bases on the Arabian coast.
-He then returned to Egypt, an old man approaching the age of 90. When he refused to support the Ottoman governor of Basra, Kubad Pasha, in another campaign against the Portuguese in the northern Persian Gulf, Piri Reis was publicly beheaded in 1554 or 1555.
-Several warships and submarines of the Turkish Navy have been named after Piri Reis.
 == ''Kitab-ı Bahriye'' (''Book of Navigation''): 1521 and 1525 ==
 {{see also|Piri Reis map}}
+[[Image:Piri Reis map interpretation.jpg|thumb|right|Comparison between a modern projection of South America and Piri Reis's version.]]
-Kitab-ı Bahriye is one of the most famous premodern books of navigation. The book contains detailed information on the major ports, bays, gulfs, capes, peninsulas, islands, straits and ideal shelters of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as techniques of navigation and navigation-related information on astronomy. The book also contains information about the local people of each country and city, and the curious aspects of their culture. Kitab-ı Bahriye was originally written between 1511 and 1521, but it was revised with additional information and better-crafted charts between 1524 and 1525 in order to be presented as a gift to Suleiman the Magnificent. Piri Reis drew these charts during his travels around the Mediterranean Sea with his uncle Kemal Reis. The revised edition of 1525 has a total of 434 pages and contains 290 maps.
+Piri Reis is the author of the ''Kitab-ı Bahriye'' one of the most famous pre modern books of navigation including a world map. Although he was not an explorer and never sailed to the Atlantic, by making use, according to the imprinting, of about twenty Arab, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Indian and older Greek maps<ref>Trading territories: mapping the early modern world, Jerry Brotton, Reaktion Books, ISBN 978-1861890115, 2003, p.108</ref>, he managed to give a comprehensive representation of the known world of his era including the recently explored shores of both Atlantic African and American continents (imprinted "These lands and islands are drawn from map of Columbus")[http://www.exploreistanbul.com/category.aspx?CategoryID=31&ArticleID=65]. In his text he is also giving as source "maps drawn in the time of Alexander the Great", but most likely he had mistakenly confused the ancient Greek geographer [[Ptolemy]] of the 2nd century AD with the same named [[Ptolemy (general)|General]] of Alexander (of six centuries before) since his map is similar with the [[Johannes de Stobnicza]] famous reproduction map of Ptolemy, printed at 1512<ref>Beyond the Pillars of Gibraltar, Leon E. Weed, ISBN 1-4116-0946-8, p.20,</ref>. The ancient book had been translated in Turkish after a personal order of [[Mehmed II]] some decades before<ref>Piri Reis & Turkish mapmaking after Columbus,Svatopluk Soucek, Muʾassasat Nūr al-Ḥusayn, Kha, ISBN 978-0197275016, 1996, p.73</ref>. The Columbus origin of the Atlantic part of the map is confirmed by the contained errors (such as Columbus’ belief that Cuba was a continental peninsula)<ref>The Map of America by Pîrî Reis, Professsor Sevim Tekeli, Foundation of Science Technology and Civilisation, Ankara 2005</ref> since at the time the manuscript produced, [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|the Spaniards]] were already for two years in Mexico. Apart of the maps, the book also contained detailed information on the major ports, bays, gulfs, capes, peninsulas, islands, straits and ideal shelters of the [[Mediterranean Sea]], as well as techniques of navigation and navigation-related information on astronomy, together with information about the local people of each country and city and the curious aspects of their culture. There are thirty legends around the world map, twenty-nine in Turkish and one in Arabic, the latter is giving the date as the Muharrem month of 919 AH (corresponding to spring 1513 AD) but most studies identify as more probable date the 1521<ref>Trading territories: mapping the early modern world, Jerry Brotton, Cornell University Press, ISBN 978-0801434990, 1998, p.110</ref><ref>The Cambridge illustrated history of the Islamic world, Francis Robinson, Cambridge University Press, 1998 p.70</ref><ref>Turkish studies in the history and philosophy of science, Gürol Irzik,Güven Güzeldere, Springer, 2005, ISBN 978-1402033322, p.286</ref>. It was revised in 1524-5 with additional information and better-crafted charts in order to be presented as a gift to [[Suleiman I]]. The revised edition had a total of 434 pages containing 290 maps.
-Kitab-ı Bahriye has two main sections, with the first section dedicated to information about the types of storms, techniques of using a compass, portolan charts with detailed information on ports and coastlines, methods of finding direction using the stars, characteristics of the major oceans and the lands around them. Special emphasis is given to the discoveries in the New World by Christopher Columbus and those of Vasco da Gama and the other Portuguese seamen on their way to India and the rest of Asia.
+Kitab-ı Bahriye has two main sections, with the first section dedicated to information about the types of storms, techniques of using a compass, [[portolan chart]]s with detailed information on ports and coastlines, methods of finding direction using the stars, characteristics of the major oceans and the lands around them. Special emphasis is given to the discoveries in the [[New World]] by [[Christopher Columbus]] and those of [[Vasco da Gama]] and the other Portuguese seamen on their way to [[India]] and the rest of [[Asia]].
+The second section is entirely composed of portolan charts and cruise guides. Each topic contains the map of an island or coastline. In the first book (1521), this section has a total of 132 portolan charts, while the second book (1525) has a total of 210 portolan charts. The second section starts with the description of the [[Dardanelles Strait]] and continues with the islands and coastlines of the [[Aegean Sea]], [[Ionian Sea]], [[Adriatic Sea]], [[Tyrrhenian Sea]], [[Ligurian Sea]], the [[French Riviera]], the [[Balearic Islands]], the coasts of [[Spain]], the [[Strait of Gibraltar]], the [[Canary Islands]], the coasts of [[North Africa]], [[Egypt]] and the [[River Nile]], the [[Levant]] and the coastline of [[Anatolia]]. This section also includes descriptions and drawings of the famous monuments and buildings in every city, as well as biographic information about Piri Reis who also explains the reasons why he preferred to collect these charts in a book instead of drawing a single map, which would not be able to contain so much information and detail.
+A century after Piri's death and during the second half of the 17th century a third version of his book was produced which left the text of the second version unaffected while enriching the cartographical part of the manuscript. It included additional new large-scale maps mostly copies of Italian (from Battista Agnese and Jacopo Gastaldi) and Dutch (Abraham Ortelius) works of the previous century. These maps were much more accurate and depict the Black Sea which was not comprised in the original<ref>Dimitris Loupis,  Piri Reis' Book on Navigation (Kitab-i Bahriyye) as a Geography Handbook, Bilkent University, p.39</ref>
-[[File:Piri Reis map of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A 16th century copy of the map of Europe in the Kitab-ı Bahriye]]
-The second section is entirely composed of portolan charts and cruise guides. Each topic contains the map of an island or coastline. In the first book (1521), this section has a total of 132 portolan charts, while the second book (1525) has a total of 210 portolan charts. The second section starts with the description of the Dardanelles Strait and continues with the islands and coastlines of the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Adriatic Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, the French Riviera, the Balearic Islands, the coasts of Spain, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, the coasts of North Africa, Egypt and the River Nile, the Levant and the coastline of Anatolia. This section also includes descriptions and drawings of the famous monuments and buildings in every city, as well as biographic information about Piri Reis who also explains the reasons why he preferred to collect these charts in a book instead of drawing a single map, which would not be able to contain so much information and detail.
 Copies of the Kitab-ı Bahriye are found in many libraries and museums around the world.
@@ Line 55: / Line 58: @@
 Copies of the second edition (1525) are found in the Topkapı Palace, the Köprülüzade Fazıl Ahmed Paşa Library, the Süleymaniye Library and the National Library of France.
 == See also ==

Revision as of 11:06, 30 October 2010

Biography

Kitab-ı Bahriye (Book of Navigation): 1521 and 1525

See also

References

Further reading

External links