Ottoman-Mamluk War (1516–1517)

The Ottoman-Mamluk War took place in 1516–1517. It was fought between the Ottoman Empire under Selim I and the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled Egypt, the Levant, and the Hijaz. The war ended with the Mamluks losing power and their territories coming under Ottoman control.

The outcome shifted the centre of Muslim power in the Middle East. The Ottomans gained control of trade routes in the Levant and Egypt, and also took responsibility for protecting Mecca and Medina. This made Istanbul the foremost political centre of the Islamic world for centuries to come.

Background to the war

The two states had long contested the southern borders of Anatolia, particularly in Cilicia and the region of smaller principalities between them. After Selim I defeated the Safavid Persians in 1514, he came to see the Mamluks as aligned with his eastern enemy. Moreover, the Ottoman use of cannon and firearms gave them a significant military advantage over the Mamluk forces, who still relied primarily on cavalry.

Marj Dabiq and the conquest of the Levant

In August 1516, a battle was fought at Marj Dabiq, north of Aleppo. The Mamluk Sultan Qansuh al-Ghawri died there, and his army was routed. After Aleppo, Damascus and other cities of the Levant fell to the Ottomans with relatively little resistance; some Mamluk emirs defected.

Ridanieh and the end of the Mamluks

The new Mamluk Sultan, Tuman Bay II, prepared a defence around Cairo. Early in 1517, a battle was fought at Ridanieh, which the Ottomans won. Cairo was taken, and after several weeks of resistance, Tuman Bay was captured and executed. Control of the Hijaz and the administration of Mecca passed to the Ottomans.

Aftermath

Egypt became an Ottoman province ruled by a governor sent from Istanbul, though Mamluk military families retained considerable local power. Whether the Abbasid caliphate seated in Cairo was formally transferred to the Ottomans is disputed among historians.