Mysteries of history: where on the map of the XVI century the coast of Antarctica, discovered in 1820

His full name is Haji Muhiddin Piri ibn Haji Mehmed. He, according to scientists, was the creator of the sea map, made on the skin of a gazelle. This map was drawn by him for the geographic atlas "Bahriye". In compiling it, Piri-res used more than 20 maps at his disposal, which he described in his book. These were maps of the times of Ptolemy and Alexander the Great, medieval maps, as well as one map drawn up by Colombo, as the Ottoman admiral calls it.

This map shows the western part of Europe, the northern coast of Africa, the islands of the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, South and North America are fairly accurately marked there. Moreover, the coastline and the interior of the continents, discovered only in 1492 by Columbus, are shown with amazing accuracy, which does not correspond to the degree of exploration of the new continent by 1513.

But the main mystery of the Piri Reis map is not in America, but that it contains the outlines of the coastline of Antarctica. As you know, this mainland was discovered in 1820 by Russian travelers F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev. Although the existence of a large land area in this part of the planet has been known since ancient times, and on some medieval maps it was schematically depicted and designated as Terra Australis Incognita - The Unknown Southern Land.

But the main feature of the map of the Ottoman admiral is that it very clearly shows the banks of the last of the open continents. Moreover, it is the coastline of the mainland itself, and not the shapeless shape of the land hidden under many-meter ice layers. On the map you can find the contours of Queen Maud Land, Weddell Sea and Palmer Peninsula (Palmer Land).

It seems unbelievable, but the map of Piri Reis was compiled on the basis of some more ancient map, which depicted Antarctica before its shores were covered with ice. This, according to scientists, could be about 8,000 years ago.

Skeptics may assume that the found map of the Peri-Reis was dated incorrectly, and the time of its compilation, for example, falls on the 19th century, after the official discovery of Antarctica. But here, not everything is so simple. After the discovery in 1820, Antarctica for a long time was indicated on maps along the border of the ice sheet. And only in 1925 the first map of this continent was published, where the coastline was designated.

It turns out that in the Ancient World there were civilizations whose representatives made such long voyages to the shores of the southernmost continent. Civilizations with significant knowledge in the field of cartography and navigation.

Today, a fragment of the Piri Reis map is stored in the library of Topkapi Palace, in the same place where it was found, and sometimes it is put on public display by visitors.