He was born in Gallipoli, in 1465. He began maritime with his relative Kemal Reis. He fought for the liberty of the Granada Moslems in 1486. Between 1490 and 1491 he joined the wars in Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, and France with Kemal Reis. Later, he joined to the Ottoman Navy. After the death of Kemal Reis, Piri Reis joined Oruc Reis’ forces, in 1511. He came to Istanbul and presented gifts sent by Oruc Reis to Sultan Selim I. He joined Selim’s Egypt Campaign. In 1547, Sultan Suleyman The Lawgiver appointed him as the Captain of the Indian Seas. In 1551, he captured Aden. He captured the Castle of Maskat Castle with 30 ships and besieged the Hurmuz Castle. However, he ended the siege and returned to Basra. In Basra, he was informed that the Portuguese Navy would enter the Basra Gulf and he returned to Egypt with three ships. He was accused by leaving the navy in Basra and he was sentenced to death in 1554, by the order of Sultan Suleyman The Lawgiver.