Khayr al-Din "Red Beard" - also known as Barbarossa (Red Beard in Italian):
Khayr al-Din (c. 1480-1546) was an Ottoman-Turkish Admiral and privateer who served in the Ottoman Empire and in the Barbary Coast. He was born on the island of Lesbos, in today's Greece. He died in Istanbul.
Khayr al-Din was one of four brother, Ishaq, 'Aruj, Ilian, and Khayr, who were born in the 1470s. The four brothers initially worked as sailors, and privateer, in the Mediterranean to counteract the privateering of the Knights of St. John of the Island of Rhodes. After his capture and escape in Italy, 'Aruj was able to get audience with the Sultan Qansoh al-Ghuri, who was preparing a fleet of ships bound for India. He gave 'Aruj a ship which he used to attack various islands of the Mediterranean controlled by Christians. After siezing three more ships in 1505 he made the island of Djerba his base, moving operations to the Western Mediterranean. In 1518 'Aruj was killed in a battle with Spaniards. He died at the age of 55 and Khayr al-Din took his place.
Under command of Khayr al-Din the Spanish army was defeated. Khayr al-Din captured Tunisia in 1521 causing the Hafsid king, al-Hasan Ibn Muhammad al-Hafsi, to fless. Emperor Charles V captured Tunis in 1535, but Khayr al-Din defeated his fleet at the Battle of Preveza (1538), securing the eastern Mediterranean for the Turks for 33 years. His red beard was the source of the epithet Barbarossa, used by Europeans.
Red Beard's Career:
Sailing from North Africa’s Barbary Coast, the Barbarossa (which means “red beard” in Italian) brothers Aruj and Khayr became rich by capturing European vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. Though their most lucrative early victims included two papal galleys and a Sardinian warship, they began targeting the Spanish around the time Aruj lost an arm to them in battle. By 1516 the Ottoman sultan had essentially put Aruj in charge of the entire Barbary Coast, a position that Hizir took over two years later following his brother’s death. Hizir, otherwise known as Khayr al-Din, then spent the rest of his days fighting various Christian enemies, including a “Holy League” fleet specifically formed by the pope to destroy him.
1533 - Red Beard made Admiral-in-Chief by the Ottoman Sultan.
Red Beard, in the course of his piracy career, managed to coordinate a fleet of 36 ships, and in 7 voyages successfully transferred over 70,000 Muslin Mudejar, and settled them in Algiers, making is a stronger base against Spain.
Due to all his achievements, the Ottoman Sultan bestowed upon Khayr al-Din "Red Beard" the title of Baylar Bey (Commander General).
Death of Red Beard:
Khayr al-Din is believed to have died at the age of 65 in his palace on the Bosphorus in Istanbul. After his death, his son, Hasan Pacha, succeeded him in Algiers. Red Beard's grave is still visible today in Istanbul.
The Cache:
In true pirate fashion, the treasure must be searched for. The cache is a small treasure chest, the treasure is about 50 feet south of GZ. Be mindful of the traffic, and be stealthy, and keep an eye out on the water, it can get swift and is really cold at times. Also, feel free to take time to stroll through some of the memorial sites in the area, they are powerful and telling. Have sone, good searching.