Background
Seydi Ali Reis was born in the Galata quarter of 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, Constantinople, 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).
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