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500 000 Lira Piri Reis
| Issuer | Turkish State Mint (Darphane) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1995 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#1039 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A highly detailed representation of a 16th-century Ottoman multi-masted sailing warship rendered in finely engraved relief, shown underway on a stylized sea with rigging, flags, and furled sails fully depicted. The legend 'PiRi REiS' arcs along the left field and '1470-1554' along the right field, flanking the vessel and commemorating the celebrated Ottoman admiral, cartographer, and navigator. The design fills the coin's field with exceptional artistry, evoking the maritime achievements of the Ottoman Empire. |
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| Additional information |
Piri Reis completed his famous world map — the Kitab-ı Bahriye — in 1513, drawing on sources that included, by his own account, a map used by Columbus. The 1995 coin commemorates the 500th anniversary of that claim, though scholars still debate whether the Antarctic coastline on the Piri Reis map represents genuine pre-Columbian knowledge or a later interpolation. The Ottoman admiral was executed in 1553, likely for refusing to continue a Persian Gulf campaign after the fall of Muscat.