Sidi Ali Reis

A detailed Summary of Sidi Ali Reis

Kanuni Sultan Suleyman had reigned for forty-six years (1520-1566) and this was the most successful period of the Ottoman Empire. "It reached a pitch of grandeur and prosperity which was never afterwards surpassed, and from which it soon began to decline." (www.osmanli700.gen.tr) However Padishah's magnificence was not the only reason that makes this period so important and influential. There were lots of influential men such as Sokullu Mehmet Pasha in administration and in naval forces: Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, Turgut Reis, Piri Reis and Seydi Ali Reis. This essay is about the Turkish Admiral Seydi Ali Reis who is famous whit his adventurous Indian Voyage and his book called "Mirat ul Memalik" (the Mirror of Countries) that is about his adventures and the places he had seen.

Seydi Ali Reis was born in Sinop at the beginning of the 16th century. He moved to Galata after the conquest of Istanbul. He had a sailor family and like his grandfather he worked at the dockyards. "My father and grandfather, since the conquest of Istanbul, had had charge of the arsenal at Galata; they had both been eminent in their profession, and their skill had come down to me as an heirloom." (Mirat ul Memalik, 212) Besides, he was a mathematician, a

Hence, Seydi Ali Reis was appointed as Admiral of the fleet. Before that he had participated in the conquest of Rhodes (1552), Tripoli (1551) and fought side by side with Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha at the Peveze War. "I, humble, Seydi Ali bin Husein, also known as Katibi-Rumi, most gladly accepted the past. I had always been very fond of the sea, had taken part in the expedition against Rhodes under the Sultan Suleyman, and had since had a share in almost all engagements, both by land and by sea." (Mirat ul Memalik, 212) His duty was also the same: to bring the fleet from Basra to Egypt.

"... With God's help we sank and utterly destroyed one of the enemy's galleons. Never before within the annals of history has such a battle been fought, and words fail me to describe it." (Mirat ul Memalik, 214) The battle continued till sunset and at last the Admiral of the enemy fleet was frightened and returned. "With the help of Allah, and under the lucky star of Padishah, the enemies of Islam had been defeated." (Mirat ul Memalik, 214)

were many wars for it. "The word jihad means determined effort. As a religious term in Islam, it has a general and a special meaning. In its general sense jihad stands for any endeavor made in order to promote the religion of Islam. But the word carries the

When this became known in Istanbul, Piri Reis was executed and the command of the fleet was given to Murad Bey. He was ordered to take the fleet from Basra but as a

In the meantime, Western Europe underwent an unprecedented overseas expansion, which changed the patterns of economic growth and society. This period is known as the "Age of Discovery" and the European states started to exploit the places which they had conquest. Thus, colonism started.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ali Reis, Egypt God's, Indian Coasts, Jihad Padishah, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Suleyman, Bahadýr Shah, Suez Canal, Seydi Ali, Turks Portuguese, seydi ali, ul memalik, mirat ul, mirat ul memalik, ali reis, seydi ali reis, portuguese fleet, piri reis, ul memalik 212, memalik 212, memalik mirror, couldn't successful, age discovery, ul memalik mirror, colombus cortes drake,

Approximate Word count = 1208
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History