Kitab-ı Bahriye (Book of Navigation), Commemoration of the Pîrî Reis and Understand His World Map of 1513

Abstract

Abstract. Many literary or scientific works had reached immortality by either its content or the author. Without a shadow of a doubt, Pîrî Reis' major work, a navigation book titled Kitab-ı Bahriye is one of those works that are passed down from generation to generation, light the way of historical process with the intense knowledge it contains, and guide researches and navigators. In Kitab-ı Bahriye which was written as a guide for navigators, sea towns are plotted in maps, bays are denoted, and information about ports for ships to berth, shoals, castles and habitants of these places are given. Furthermore, this work, as a reference book, has a very important place for geographical discoveries where experiences and fund of scientific knowledge accumulated for ages were verified and transmitted through generations in great detail. Kitab-ı Bahriye and world map of Pîrî Reis dated 1513 is not only a source for discoveries, navigation, cartography and cartography works but also it contains important and valuable data about word history and experiences, myths, values and historical positions of societies in 16th century. So much so that information in the book is ranging from Aegean and Red Sea to China Sea, from Indian Ocean to Japanese Sea.In this article, it will be focused on how Pîrî Reis plotted such a precious map in that ages, from which books and works he got inspired while working on it, in which coasts he made observations and how he used these observations on his world map of 1513 and his unique work called Kitab-ı Bahriye. Being able to be studied by researchers after centuries, these two precious works also draw attention to how this kind of documents can be protected carefully for long duration in archives and museums. Lastly, with the examination of maps and drawings that have a past of 506 years, it is aimed at to understand mind world and all works of famous scientist Pîrî Reis who was commemorated by UNESCO in 2013 better and to share his impressions about new world geography in detail with researchers.