Seydi Ali Reis - Days in Gujarat

Days in Gujarat

After landing at Gujarat, Seydi Ali Reis proceeded to the Fortress of Daman and received permission from Malik Esed, the Governor of Daman to whom he accepted to leave the armament of his ships, the permission for himself and his men to freely roam the coastline and the mainland. Many of his crewmen decided to stay there and enter the service of Malik Esed, and Seydi Ali Reis sailed to Surat with the few loyal crewmen who remained on board of his ship. They reached Surat 3 full months after departing from Basra.

Seydi Ali Reis established good relations with Sultan Ahmed, the 12-year-old new ruler of Gujarat (the successor of Sultan Bahadur who had recently died) whose ascension to the throne was challenged by a nobleman named Nasir-ul-Mulk who simultaneously declared himself as the new sultan and captured the stronghold of Burudj. In the meantime, Nasir-ul-Mulk had offered the coastal ports of Gujarat to the Portuguese in exchange for their support against the young Sultan Ahmed who immediately collected an army to march on Burudj. When the sultan was informed of the arrival of the Ottomans, he took 200 gunners and other men from their troops and advanced towards Burudj. On the third day of the fighting, Seydi Ali Reis and his men -who were left behind- were attacked by the Portuguese captains of Goa, Diu, Shiyul, Besai, and the Provador; five in all, commanding 7 large galleons and 80 other ships. The Ottoman fleet went ashore, pitched their tents, and threw up entrenchments; for two whole months Seydi Ali Reis and his men were busy preparing for battle. The tyrant Nasir-ul-Mulk, who had joined with the Portuguese, had hired assassins to kill Seydi Ali Reis; who were, however, discovered by the guard and fled. Meanwhile, Sultan Ahmed had taken the stronghold of Burudj and sent two of his officers, Khudavend and Djihanghir, with elephants and troops to Surat, while he proceeded to Ahmedabad, where a youth, called Ahmed, a relative of Sultan Ahmed, had in the meantime raised a revolt. A battle followed, in which the usurper was wounded, Hasan Ehan, one of his adherents, killed, and his army put to fight. As Sultan Ahmed reascended his throne, and, as Nasir-ul-Mulk died of vexation over his misfortunes, peace was once more restored in Gujarat.

When the Portuguese heard of this, they sent an envoy to Khudavend Khan to say that they did not mind so much about Surat, but that their hostility was chiefly directed towards the Ottoman admiral. The Portuguese demanded that Seydi Ali Reis should be given up to them, but their request was refused. It turned out that a runaway Christian gunner from one of the ships of Seydi Ali Reis had enlisted on the ship of the Portuguese envoy, and, knowing a good deal about the affairs of the Ottomans, he had undertaken to prevent their departure from India after the holiday of Kurban (Eid).

The troops of Seydi Ali Reis began to lose hope for return and became more and more dissatisfied. In Surat, Khudavend Khan had been paying them from 50 to 60 paras per day, and in Burudj, Adil Khan had done the same. At last their pent-up feelings burst forth and they argued as follows: "It is now nearly two years since we have received any pay, our goods are lost, and the ships dismantled; the hulks are old, and our return to Egypt is practically made impossible." The end was that the greater part of the crewmen of Seydi Ali Reis took service in Gujarat, where they decided to stay.

The deserted ships, with all their tools and implements, were given over to Khudavend Khan, under condition that he should immediately remit to the Sublime Porte the price agreed upon for the sale (see also:Mughal Weapons.