Piri Reis 23313 222708160 2008-06-30T18:52:22Z Drk2cmp 1334988 [[Image:Piri reis world map 01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Surviving fragment of the [[Piri Reis map|first World Map]] of Piri Reis (1513)]] [[Image:Second World Map of Piri Reis.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Surviving fragment of the second World Map of Piri Reis (1528)]] '''Piri Reis''' (full name '''Hadji Muhiddin Piri Ibn Hadji Mehmed''') (about [[1465]] &ndash; [[1554]] or [[1555]]) was an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman-Turkish]] [[admiral]] and [[Cartography|cartographer]] born between [[1465]] and 1470 in [[Gallipoli]] on the [[Aegean Sea|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 extremely accurate charts describing the important ports and cities of the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. He gained fame as a cartographer when a small part of [[Piri Reis map|his first world map]] (prepared in [[1513]]) was discovered in [[1929]] at [[Topkapı Palace]] in [[Istanbul]]. The most surprising aspect was the presence of the [[Americas]] on an Ottoman map, making it the first Turkish map ever drawn of the Americas -- although not the first ever, which was drawn by pilot and cartographer [[Juan de la Cosa]] in 1500 and is conserved in the naval museum (Museo Naval) in [[Madrid]]. The most striking characteristic of the first world map (1513) of Piri Reis, however, is the level of accuracy in positioning the continents (particularly the relation between [[Africa]] and [[South America]]) which was unparalleled for its time. Even maps drawn decades later did not have such accurate positioning and proportions; a quality which can be observed in other maps of Piri Reis in his ''Kitab-ı Bahriye'' (''Book of Navigation''). Piri Reis' map is centered in the Sahara at the Tropic of Cancer latitude.<ref>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</ref> Some scholars, including [[Charles Hapgood|Prof. Charles H. Hapgood]], have argued that the Piri Reis map might also be the oldest surviving map of [[Antarctica]],<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Maps-Ancient-Sea-Kings-Civilization/dp/0932813429/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206253429&sr=8-1 Hapgood, Charles H.: "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings: Evidence of Advanced Civilization in the Ice Age"]</ref><ref>[http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198001/piri.reis.and.the.hapgood.hypotheses.htm Hoye, Paul F.; and Lunde, Paul: "Piri Reis and the Hapgood Hypotheses"]</ref> despite being drawn more than 3 centuries before the [[History of Antarctica|official discovery of that continent]]. In [[1528]] Piri Reis drew a second world map, of which a small fragment showing [[Greenland]] and [[North America]] from [[Labrador]] and [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] in the north to [[Florida]], [[Cuba]] and parts of [[Central America]] in the south still survives. == Biography == Piri began to serve in the Ottoman navy when he was young, in [[1481]], following his uncle [[Kemal Reis]], a well-known seafarer of the time. He participated in many years of fighting against [[Spain|Spanish]], [[Genoa|Genoese]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] navies, 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]], based on some 20 older maps and charts which he had collected, including charts personally designed by [[Christopher Columbus]] which his uncle Kemal Reis obtained in [[1501]] after capturing seven Spanish ships off the coast of [[Valencia, Spain|Valencia]] in [[Spain]] with several of Columbus' crewmen on board. 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 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. Following the Vizier's advice, he edited his book and was able to present it to Sultan [[Suleiman I|Suleiman the Magnificent]] in [[1525]]. Three years later he presented his second world map to Suleiman. 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 [[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]] 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. 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 == [[Image:Piri Reis map of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.jpg|thumb|200px|Piri Reis map of [[Europe]], the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and [[North Africa]] in his Kitab-ı Bahriye]] 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 I|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. 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 comprised 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. Copies of the first edition (1521) are found in the [[Topkapı Palace]], Nuruosmaniye Library and Süleymaniye Library in [[Istanbul]], Library of the University of [[Bologna]], National Library of [[Vienna]], State Library of [[Dresden]], National Library of [[Paris]], British Museum in [[London]], Bodleian Library in [[Oxford]] and the [[Walters Art Museum]] in [[Baltimore]]. Copies of the second edition (1525) are found in the [[Topkapı Palace]], Köprülüzade Fazıl Ahmed Paşa Library and Süleymaniye Library in [[Istanbul]] and the National Library of [[Paris]]. == Kitab-ı Bahriye image gallery == Several charts from both editions (1521 and 1525) of the Kitab-ı Bahriye can be seen below: <gallery> Image:Entrance_of_the_Dardanelles_by_Piri_Reis.jpg|Entrance of the [[Dardanelles|Dardanelles Strait]] Image:Dardanelles and Gulf of Saros by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Dardanelles|Dardanelles Strait]] and the [[Saros Bay|Gulf of Saros]] Image:Lesbos and Ayvalik by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Lesbos Island|Lesbos]] and [[Ayvalık]] Image:Aegean Sea by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Aegean Sea]] Image:Izmir by Piri Reis.jpg[[Izmir]] Image:Chios by Piri Reis.jpg[[Chios]] Image:Samos by Piri Reis.jpg[[Samos]] Image:Cape Bozburun near Marmaris and Datça by Piri Reis.jpg|Cape Bozburun between [[Marmaris]] and [[Datça]] Image:Marmaris by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Marmaris]] Image:Rhodes by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Rhodes]] Image:Crete by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Crete]] Image:Amorgos by Piri Reis.jpg|Katapola Bay in [[Amorgos]] Image:Athens by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Athens]] Image:Thessaloniki by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Thessaloniki]] Image:Otranto by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Otranto]] Image:Brindisi by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Brindisi]] Image:Ancona by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Ancona]] Image:Venice by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Venice]] Image:Sicily by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Sicily]] Image:Sardinia by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Sardinia]] Image:Corsica by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Corsica]] Image:Genoa by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Genoa]] Image:Marseilles by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Marseilles]] and [[Toulon]] Image:Majorca and Minorca by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Majorca]] and [[Minorca]] Image:Minorca by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Minorca]] Image:Granada by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Granada]] Image:Strait of Gibraltar by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Strait of Gibraltar]] Image:Algiers and Bejaia by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Algiers]] and [[Bejaia]] Image:Tunis by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Tunis]] Image:Gulf and Island of Djerba by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Djerba]] Image:Malta by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Malta]] Image:Tripoli by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Tripoli]] Image:Alexandria by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Alexandria]] Image:River Nile and Bulaq by Piri Reis.jpg|[[River Nile]] and Bulaq Image:Cyprus by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Cyprus]] Image:Alanya by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Alanya]] Image:Antalya by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Antalya]], [[Manavgat]], [[Side]] Image:Antalya and Kemer by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Antalya]] and [[Kemer]] Image:Cape Adrasan and the Riviera of Finike by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Finike]] Image:Kekova by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Kekova]] Image:Kas and Kastelorizo by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Kaş]] and [[Kastelorizo]] Image:Fethiye by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Fethiye]] Image:Istanbul by Piri Reis.jpg|[[Istanbul]] </gallery> == See also == * [[Piri Reis map]] * [[History of the Turkish Navy]] * [[List of cartographers]] == References == {{reflist}} ==Further reading== * [http://www.sacred-texts.com/piri/pirikey.htm Piri Reis Map and translation of the texts] * İnan, Afet: ''Life and works of Pirî Reis: the oldest map of America''. Ankara 1975. * Kahle, Paul: ''Die verschollene Kolumbuskarte von 1498 in einer türkischen Weltkarte von 1513''. Berlin/Leipzig 1933. (In German) * Kahle, Paul (Hrsg.): ''Piri Re'îs. Bahrîje. Das türkische Segelhandbuch für das Mittelländische Meer vom Jahre 1521''. Berlin 1926. (In German) * McIntosh, Gregory C.: ''The Piri Reis Map of 1513''. Athens and London: University of Georgia Press, 2000. * Mesenburg, Peter: ''Kartometrische Untersuchung und Rekonstruktion der Weltkarte des Piri Re`is (1513)''. In: Cartographica Helvetica, No. 24 (2001), 3-7. (In German) * Soucek, Svat: ''Piri Reis and Turkish Mapmaking After Columbus: The Khalili Portolan Atlas''. Vol. 2 of ''Studies in the Khalili Collection''. London: The Nour Foundation and Azimuth Editions, 1992; New York: The Nour Foundation, Azimuth Editions, and Oxford University Press, 1996. == External links == {{Commonscat|Maps by Piri Reis}} * [http://www.prep.mcneese.edu/engr/engr321/preis/piri_r~1.htm The Piri Reis Project, with links to an early edition of A. Afetinan's book and to a reproduction of the Piri Reis Map] * [http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/PSEUDOSC/PiriRies.HTM The Piri Reis map] (Steven Dutch) [[Category:Turkish cartographers]] [[Category:Ottoman Empire admirals]] [[Category:Turkish sailors]] [[Category:Turkish admirals]] [[Category:History of the Ottoman Empire]] [[Category:History of Turkey]] [[Category:Turkish scientists]] [[Category:1460s births]] [[Category:1550s deaths]] [[ar:بيري رئيس]] [[bg:Пири Реис]] [[da:Piri Reis]] [[de:Piri Reis]] [[el:Πίρι Ρέις]] [[es:Piri Reis]] [[fr:Piri Reis]] [[gl:Piri Reis]] [[ko:피리 레이스]] [[it:Piri Reìs]] [[hu:Piri reisz]] [[nl:Piri Re'is]] [[ja:ピーリー・レイス]] [[pl:Piri Reis]] [[pt:Piri Reis]] [[ru:Пири Рейс]] [[simple:Piri Reis]] [[fi:Piri Reis]] [[sv:Piri Reis]] [[tr:Piri Reis]]