1513 Piri Reis Map full of European state secrets and snarky commentary. Approximately one third of the map survives housed at Topkapi Palace, Istanbul Turkey [960×1280]

Drawn on gazelle skin, the map was the work of the Ottoman admiral and cartographer Piri Reis in 1513. After the empire’s 1517 conquest of Egypt, Piri Reis presented the 1513 world map to Ottoman Sultan Selim I (r. 1512–1520). He claimed in the extensive notes he left on the map to have drawn his inspiration from more than 20 source maps, some dating back to the time of Alexander the Great. The map is highly accurate in most ways for its time, although it does have many flaws typical of maps drawn from second-hand information. The notes discuss the various sources of information, and also include a running commentary on places featured in the map, which are sometimes quite colorful. For example: “This country is a waste. Everything is in ruin and it is said that large snakes are found here. For this reason the Portuguese infidels did not land on these shores and these are also said to be very hot.” [Source](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/piri-reis-map-at-topkapi-palace) and [Wikipedia link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piri_Reis_map)

I have thought seeing this map would be cool for much of my life. I was at Topkapi Palace literally last week. I had no idea it was there and did not see it… very sad about this.