Seydi Ali Reis
He is famous today for his books of travel such as the Mir'ât ül Memâlik (The Mirror of Countries, 1557) which describes the lands he has seen on his way back from India to Constantinople, and his books of navigation and astronomy, such as the Mir’ât-ı Kâinât (Mirror of the Universe) and the Kitâb ül Muhit: El Muhit fî İlmi'l Eflâk ve'l Buhûr (Book of the Regional Seas and the Science of Astronomy and Navigation) which contain information on navigation techniques, methods of determining direction, calculating time, using the compass, information on stars, sun and moon calendars, wind and sea currents, as well as portolan information regarding the ports, harbours, coastal settlements and islands in the various regions of the Ottoman Empire.
His books are translated into numerous languages including English, French, Italian, German, Greek, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Russian and Bengali and are considered among the finest literary works dating from the Ottoman period.
Seydi Ali Reis was born in the Galata[2][3] across the Golden Horn from Constantinople as the son of a Turkish family which had its origins in Sinop[2][3] on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.
While Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was at his winter residence in Aleppo towards the end of 1552, he appointed Seydi Ali Reis as the new Commander of the Ottoman Indian Ocean Fleet, based in Suez (Egypt), with other homeports in Aden (Yemen) and Basra (Iraq).
Seydi Ali Reis departed from Aleppo on 7 December 1553 and, after visiting numerous religious sites and important cities in the region, finally arrived at Basra on the Persian Gulf towards the beginning of February 1554.
On the way to Hormuz, Seydi Ali Reis stopped at the ports of Arabia and Persia such as Bahrain, Dizful, Shushter, Bushehr, Qatif, Kish and Barhata.
The bitter fighting, which caused serious damage on both sides, continued until sunset, when the Portuguese commander ordered retreat with the signal-gun and withdrew his forces towards the Strait of Hormuz.
The night was calm and the wind was favourable as the Ottoman fleet sailed towards Khorfakkan, where Seydi Ali Reis replenished his ships with water, before reaching Oman (Sohar).
Soon the Portuguese and Ottoman forces confronted each other and both sides lost 5 vessels during the battle, the surviving crews of which were taken by the intact ships of the respective fleets, while some of them managed to land on the Arabian shore.
Towards the night, the fleet of Seydi Ali Reis, including the Portuguese ships which were captured and towed behind the remaining Ottoman galleys, reached the Bay of Oman, but was not allowed to land by the locals.
Seydi Ali Reis thus set sail eastwards, towards the open seas, and finally reached the coasts of Djash, in the province of Kerman, Iran.
A welcome diversion occurred in the appearance of an "enormously large fish (probably a whale) about the size of two galley lengths, or more perhaps", which the pilot declared to be a good omen.
Seydi Ali Reis mentions in the Mir'ât ül Memâlik ("The Mirror of Countries") that such whirlpools were found only on the coasts of Abyssinia and in the neighborhood of Sindh in the Bay of Debal (modern Karachi, Pakistan), and hardly ever a ship was known to escape their fury.
Seydi Ali Reis also stripped entirely, gave his slaves their liberty, and vowed to give 100 florins to the poor of Mecca in case of survival.
Once more the sails were set, and Seydi Ali Reis decided to head towards India - duly taking note of the tides and currents, and having made a careful study of the charts, he had come to the conclusion that they could not be very far off from the Indian mainland.
The other ships had already arrived, but some of the galleys were waterlogged not far from the shore, and they had thrown overboard oars, boats, and casks, the wreckage of which eventually was borne ashore by the rapidly rising tide.
Seydi Ali Reis and his men were obliged to lie for another five days and five nights, exposed to a strong spring-tide, accompanied by floods of rain; for they were now in the monsoon, or "rainy season" of India, and there was nothing for it but to submit to their fate.
In the meantime, Nasir-ul-Mulk had offered the coastal ports of Gujarat to the Portuguese in exchange for their support against the young Sultan Ahmed who immediately collected an army to march on Burudj.
On the third day of the fighting, Seydi Ali Reis and his men -who were left behind- were attacked by the Portuguese captains of Goa, Diu, Shiyul, Besai, and the Provador; five in all, commanding 7 large galleons and 80 other ships.
The Ottoman fleet went ashore, pitched their tents, and threw up entrenchments; for two whole months Seydi Ali Reis and his men were busy preparing for battle.
At last their pent-up feelings burst forth and they argued as follows: "It is now nearly two years since we have received any pay, our goods are lost, and the ships dismantled; the hulks are old, and our return to Egypt is practically made impossible."
[4] The deserted ships, with all their tools and implements, were given over to Khudavend Khan, under condition that he should immediately remit to the Sublime Porte the price agreed upon for the sale (see also: Mughal Weapons).
Despite this initial hostility across Transoxiana, Seydi Ali Reis and his men were warmly welcomed and hosted for 15 days by the ruler of Bukhara, Seid Burhan.
Seydi Ali Reis later headed to Khwarezm, Khorasan, Iraq and Anatolia, finally reaching Constantinople after two years and three months of voyage since their departure from Surat in India.
Sultan Suleiman received Seydi Ali Reis with understanding and compassion, and appointed him as the Müteferrika of the Dergâh-ı âlî, with a daily salary of 80 akçe.
