Ottoman Conquest of Egypt and Fall of the Mamluk Sultanate
- When
- 1517
- Where
- Ridaniya; Cairo
- Episodes
- 3
In 1517, Ottoman Sultan Selim I defeated the Mamluk Sultanate, culminating in the Battle of Ridaniya and the capture of Cairo. This conquest ended Mamluk rule and established Ottoman dominance over the Muslim heartlands, though the formal transfer of the Caliphate is historically debated.
Episodes
- Battle of Ridaniya
Ottoman forces defeated the Mamluk army under Tuman Bay II in Egypt.
- Capture of Cairo
Ottoman forces entered Cairo, ending Mamluk control of the capital.
- Execution of Tuman Bay
The last Mamluk sultan was executed in Cairo.
Background and detail
Background. The Mamluk Sultanate, ruling Egypt and the Levant since 1250, faced Ottoman expansion under Selim I. After the Ottoman victory at Marj Dabiq in 1516, where Mamluk Sultan al-Ghuri was killed, Tuman Bay was proclaimed sultan in Cairo. Selim then advanced into Egypt to complete the conquest of the Mamluk state.
The Campaign. Selim's forces defeated Mamluk armies at Gaza and subsequently overwhelmed defenders at Ridaniya on 22 January 1517. Following this victory, Ottoman troops entered Cairo on 3 February 1517. Tuman Bay fled but was later captured near Giza in April 1517, marking the effective end of Mamluk military resistance.
Aftermath. Tuman Bay was executed at Bab Zuweila in Cairo on 13 April 1517. The conquest established the Ottoman Empire as the pre-eminent Muslim state, with Selim assuming the role of guardian of the pilgrimage routes. This event is historically viewed as the moment the Ottomans seized leadership of the Muslim world.
People involved
- Selim I · Ottoman Sultan
Sources
- Selim I Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-04
- Mamluk Sultanate Wikipedia
- Battle of Ridaniya Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.