Seydi Ali Reis (1498–1563), formerly also written Sidi Ali Reis and Sidi Ali Ben Hossein, was an Ottoman admiral and navigator. Known also as Katib-i Rumi, Galatalı or Sidi Ali Çelebi, he commanded the left wing of the Ottoman fleet at the naval Battle of Preveza in 1538. He was later promoted to the rank of fleet admiral of the Ottoman fleet in the Indian Ocean, and as such, encountered the Portuguese forces based in the Indian city of Goa on several occasions in 1554. Seydi was able to unite several Muslim countries on the coast of the Arabian Sea (such as the Makran Kingdom, Gujarat Sultanate and Adal Sultanate) against the Portuguese.
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.
Background
Seydi Ali Reis was born in the Galata across the Golden Horn from Constantinople as the son of a Turkish family which had its origins in Sinop on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. His grandfather was the Tersâne Kethüdâsı (Commander of the Ottoman Imperial Naval Arsenal) during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, while his father, Hüseyin Reis, was the Kethüdâ (Commander) of the Bahriye Dârü's-Sınaası (Naval Industries Center) in Galata, at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. His father's career as a high-ranking seaman and naval engineer had an important influence on the future of Seydi Ali, who, at a young age, started working at the naval arsenal. Apart from his interest in seamanship, Seydi Ali also received a decent education on positive sciences such as mathematics, astronomy and geography. He also excelled in literature and theology, and was an accomplished poet. Within time he became a high-ranking officer at the naval arsenal and was promoted to the rank of Reis (used both for Captain and Admiral during the Ottoman period).
Early career in the Ottoman Navy
Starting from the Siege of Rhodes (1522), Seydi Ali Reis participated in every major naval campaign of the Ottoman Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. He commanded the left wing of the Ottoman fleet of Hayreddin Barbarossa Pasha which defeated the Holy League of Charles V under the command of Andrea Doria at the Battle of Preveza (1538). He also commanded several ships of the fleet of Sinan Pasha and Turgut Reis which conquered Tripoli in Libya from Spain and the Knights of Malta in 1551. He later took part in the Ottoman naval campaigns on the western coasts of the Mediterranean Sea.
Seydi Ali Reis was subsequently promoted to the ranks of Azepler Kâtibi, Tersâne Kethüdâsı (Commander of the Ottoman Imperial Naval Arsenal) and Hassa Donanma Reisi (Commander of the Ottoman Central Fleet).
Commander of the Ottoman Indian Ocean Fleet
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). His predecessors in this rank included the famous Ottoman admiral and cartographer Piri Reis and admiral Koca Murat Reis, who had also participated in the Battle of Preveza in 1538.
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. His mission was to take the 15 Ottoman galleys anchored there, which were previously under the command of Piri Reis, to the chief homeport of the Ottoman Indian Ocean Fleet at Suez, on the Red Sea. Most of the 15 galleys were damaged in the previous encounters with the Portuguese fleet in the Indian Ocean. Seydi Ali Reis had the ships repaired and fitted them with new cannons, using the limited amount of resources and supplies which were available in Basra at that time.