APersonIndependent states
Piri Reis
Ottoman admiral and cartographer (c. 1470–1553), author of the 1513 world map and the Kitab-ı Bahriye.
Piri Reis was born in Gallipoli and from his youth sailed the Mediterranean on the ships of his uncle Kemal Reis, later becoming a captain and admiral in the Ottoman navy.
His world map of 1513, drawn on gazelle skin, shows the Atlantic, the western coasts of Africa and Europe and the coasts of the Americas; he noted that a lost map by Columbus was among his sources. A fragment of it was found in Topkapı Palace in 1929.
His Kitab-ı Bahriye (Book of the Sea) describes the harbours, islands and coasts of the Mediterranean with detailed charts. UNESCO included the 500th anniversary of the map among its commemorations for 2013.
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Updated: October 2, 2026