Rais Mami

Rais Mami was a renowned naval commander who served as supreme commodore of the corsair flotilla of Algiers during the late sixteenth century. In September 1575, off the coast of Catalonia, his squadron intercepted and captured the Spanish galley 'El Sol'.

Among the passengers captured was a wounded young Spanish soldier carrying letters of recommendation from Don John of Austria: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Rais Mami brought Cervantes to Algiers, an encounter that profoundly inspired the 'Captive's Tale' in 'Don Quixote' and multiple classical Spanish plays set in the vibrant, cosmopolitan Casbah of Algiers.