of Gallipoli, in the year 1513, and four years later, in 1517, when in Egypt, personally presented it to Selim I., the Conqueror of Egypt.
The map, which is in colours, is drawn on parchment with the greatest care.
The section in our possession is part of a large-scale map of the world. Careful examination of the map reveals that the marginal notes on its eastern edge have been torn in two. The inference is that the complete map showed the then known portions of the world, that is, Europe, Asia, Africa, and such parts of America as had been discovered.
The author gives in one of his marginal notes a detailed account of the maps and charts which he consulted in drawing his own. In the marginal note describing the shores of the Antilles he states that for these shores and islands he has made use of the map of Christopher Colombus. He quotes the narrative of a Spaniard, made prisoner by his uncle, who claimed that he had been to America three times with Colombus. In a marginal note concerning South America he also states that he had seen the newly-drawn map of four Portuguese explorers. The lines referring to his use of Colombus' map are as follows:[1]
"The names which mark the places on the said islands and coasts were given by Colombus, that these places may be known by them. The coast and islands on this map are taken from Colonbo's map."[2]
His work being essentially a large world-map, Piri Reis also studied a number of maps of the old world. In particular, so he informs us, he carefully examined and studied the maps drawn in the time of Alexander the Great, the "Mappae Mundi", and eight maps drawn by the musulmans.[3]
Piri Reis personally explains in one of his marginal notes the exact manner in which his map came into existence:
"This section shows in what way this map was drawn. In this century there is no other map like this map in anyone's possession. The hand of this poor man has drawn it and now it is constructed. From about twenty charts and Mappae Mundi—these are maps drawn in the days of Alexander, Lord of the Two Horns, which show the inhabited quarter of the world; the Arabs name these charts Jaferiye—from eight Jaferiyes of that kind and one Arabic map of Hind, and from the maps just drawn by four Portuguese which show the countries of Sind, Hind and China geometrically drawn and also from a map drawn by Colombus in the western region, I have extracted it. By reducing these maps to one scale this final form was arrived at. So that the present map is as correct and reliable for the Seven Seas as the maps of our countries are considered correct and reliable by Seamen."
In a special chapter of the "Bahriye" Piri Reis explains that in drawing the map he followed the cartographical traditions considered international in his time. Cities and citadels are indicated by red lines, uninhabited places by black lines, rugged and rocky places by black dots, shallows and beaches by red dots, submerged rocks by crosses.
One of the remarkable points about Piri Reis' map is that the positions on the Atlantic coast of Africa bear Turkish names such as Babadağ (Father Mt.), Akburun (White Cape), Yeşilburun (Green Cape), Kızılburun (Red Cape), Kozluburun (Walnut Cape), Altınırmak (Golden River), Güzelkörfez (Beautiful Gulf).
A second point of interest is that the map is not a copy but an original work based on various maps and on the personal experience of the admiral and of his friends.
It is to be regretted that the very important map in our possession is only a fragment; had not the remaining parts been torn away and lost, we would have in our possession an excellent Turkish map of both the old and the new worlds drawn as far back as 1513. Considering that Columbus' voyages were made during the last years of the fifteenth and the early years of the sixteenth centuries (Columbus returned from his fourth voyage in 1504) a map drawn so short a time after the new discoveries may be said to be one of the first to show all the continents together. In summary, this map drawn in the early sixteenth century is from various points of view a very valuable Turkish work.
⁂
We have seen that Piri Reis states in his marginal notes that he has made use of the maps of Colombus and of Portuguese explorers. His claim to have used Columbus' map, which until now has not been found, may be thus validated: during a naval battle in the western basin of the Mediterranean in 1501, the Turkish sailors captured Spanish ships and in one of them found objects that came from America. As is known, Columbus returned from his third trip in 1500. It is therefore very likely that his map was among the objects found by Kemal Reis on board the Spanish ships.
The map which Columbus is known to have drawn shortly after his great discover not having been located hitherto, Piri Reis' map constitutes a very important source of information in regard to it. Did the Turkish admiral, who was an estimable scholar and cartographer, really have Columbus' map in his possession and make use of it in drawing his own map, as he claims? After long and serious investigation of the question, Professor Kahle has arrived at the conclusion that Piri Reis claim is justifiable.[4]
From the point of view of the civilisation of the Turks also, this map is of great importance. The fact that the discovery of a new world towards the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth cen-
13
- ↑ In the introduction to his "Bahriye", where he speaks of cartography, Piri Reis refers to his own map in the following manner:
"This poor man had previously constructed a map which displayed many details of different kinds than maps hitherto in existence and even included recent maps from Hindu and Chinese works on navigation which were up to then unknown in the country of Rum; and presented this map to the late Sultan Selim Han in Cairo, who graciously accepted it.". - ↑ We have underlined the above words.
- ↑ As later orientalists have correctly remarked, it is wrong to speak of Arab civilization; the term Islamic civilization would be more exact, for those who have created this civilization, while using the Arabic language, were not all Arabs. There were, in fact, more Persians and Turks among them than Arabs.
- ↑ Paul, Kahle, "Die verschollene Columbus-Karte von 1498". Einleitung, pp. 9–10.
