Piri Reis, an Ottoman admiral and cartographer, is renowned for his world map created in 1513, which includes detailed representations of parts of Northern Africa.
His work is significant not only for its artistic merit but also for the geographical knowledge it conveys from over 500 years ago.
Piri Reis was born around 1470 in the Aegean region of what is now Türkiye.
His famous map was produced at a time when European colonialism was rapidly expanding, fuelled by the Age of Discovery.
European powers were eager to chart the unknown parts of the world, and Piri Reis’s work reflected a blend of indigenous knowledge, European cartographic traditions, and information from earlier explorers.
Having learned seamanship from his uncle Kemal Reis, Piri Reis participated in the transportation of Muslims and Jews who escaped from the Spanish Inquisition during the reign of Bayezid II in 1492.
Piri Reis’s map of Northern Africa features several key areas, including the coasts of Egypt, Libya, and parts of the Maghreb. Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha requested a clean copy of his book, the “Kitab-ı Bahriye,” which Piri Reis completed in 1521 to be presented to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1524.
The map depicts significant geographical landmarks, such as the Nile River and major ports, with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
For instance, the depiction of the Nile Delta is precise, reflecting its actual shape and positioning. The outlines of the North African coastline are generally well-drawn, particularly in areas frequented by traders and explorers.
Piri Reis’s attention to detail in these regions demonstrates an understanding of the local geography.
Some regions are represented with inconsistent scales, leading to distortions in the size of various landforms.
While coastal features are relatively well depicted, there is less detail regarding the internal geography of Northern Africa, reflecting the limited knowledge of inland territories at the time.
When compared to modern maps, Piri Reis’s representations are striking in their clarity, but they also reveal the limitations of 16th-century cartography.
Advances in navigation, exploration, and geographic knowledge since Piri Reis’s time have enhanced our understanding of the region.
Nonetheless, his maps provide invaluable insights into the geographic knowledge available at that time and serve as a bridge between ancient and modern cartography.
His maps served not only as navigational tools but also as instruments of power, showcasing the Ottoman Empire's maritime capabilities and ambitions.
The accuracy with which he represented Northern Africa contributed to the empire’s strategic goals in the Mediterranean and beyond.
The maps created by Piri Reis have had a lasting impact on the fields of geography and cartography.
His work is considered one of the earliest examples of a world map that integrates knowledge from different cultures and geographic traditions.
Today, Piri Reis is celebrated not only for his artistic achievements but also for his contributions to our understanding of historical geography.
It is sad to know that he died in Egypt and that such a great man’s grave has vanished into history.
* Halim Gençoğlu is a historian with PhD from UCT and is a post-doctoral fellow at Wits University.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media
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