A Story To Tell: Seeing Through the Minds of Two Admirals
- Eda Ozyesilpinar -
Piri Reis: His life, important works, and his Map of 1513
He was born around 1465-70 in Gallipoli, and died in 1554. Reis started his naval career after the age of twelve by starting to sail “with his uncle, the famous corsair Kemal Reis” (Kahane et al., 1988, p. 22). Reis sailed with his uncle for fourteen years, visited many places, and learned about the science of navigation (Aftetinan, 1954 & McIntosh, 2000). After Kemal Reis became an admiral in the Ottoman navy (1494), Reis continued his naval career by serving the Ottoman Empire and the Sultan with his uncle (Afetinan, 1954). Reis returned to his hometown Gallipoli after his uncle died in 1510 (McIntosh, 2000).
After he returned to Gallipoli, he focused on his studies and constructed his first world map in 1513. In addition to his first world map, Reis is also known for his other two works, Kitab-i Bahriye ( Book of the Sea, or Book of Maritime Matters), and his two world maps: Map of 1513 and Map of 1528.
