Piri Reis

1465 - 1554

Piri Reis was a famous Turkish sailor and the first Turkish marine cartographer born in Gelibolu (Gallipoli) in 1465. Piri Reis was both a great sea commander who was heroic and smart in battle and one of the most important cartographers and sailor writers of literature of his time.

Starting with his days of piracy, he systematically wrote down his observations. Works he produced written by using the material he found on marine cartography and marine geography and the maps he produced have a distinguished place in history of science. The world map he charted was printed by the Turkish Historical Institution in 1935. This map was presented by Piri Reis to Yavuz Sultan Selim in Egypt in 1517. The map is so accurate that even today it's uncertain how one could draw such a detailed and accurate map of the uncharted waters!