16th century – 16th century
Syria, Palestine and Egypt
The Ottoman conquest of Egypt began with the defeat of the Mamluk army north of Aleppo in August 1516 and culminated in the defeat of Mamluk forces near Cairo in January 1517. Sultan Selim I occupied Damascus, took Syria and Palestine to the Sinai Desert, and ended the Mamluk sultanate. Egypt became an Ottoman province whose agricultural wealth, population, Red Sea position and religious prestige made it central to Ottoman power in West Asia and North Africa.
Continue exploring
The Story
At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire expanded from its bases in Asia Minor and the Balkans into the Arab lands of West Asia and North Africa. Relations between the Ottomans and the Mamluk rulers of Syria and Egypt had deteriorated since the 1480s. After Sultan Selim I’s campaign against Persia in 1514, he resolved to destroy the Mamluk–Safavid alignment and extend Ottoman authority southward.
In August 1516, Ottoman forces routed the Mamluk army north of Aleppo. Technical superiority and the defection of a pro-Ottoman faction contributed to the victory. Selim occupied Damascus and took Syria and Palestine as far as the Sinai Desert, while advisers and Mamluk amirs who had changed sides encouraged him to continue toward Egypt.
Selim reached the vicinity of Cairo and defeated the Mamluk troops in a short battle in January 1517. This victory ended the Mamluk sultanate. The conquest was aided by the contrasting economic conditions of the two states: the Ottomans controlled economically developed territories with mines, raw materials and production centres, whereas the Mamluks depended heavily on agriculture and transit trade whose spice routes had been challenged by the Portuguese.
The conquest gave the Ottomans control over Egypt’s intensive agriculture, large population and Red Sea position. It also enhanced the prestige of the Ottoman sultans, who became guardians of Mecca and Medina. Before returning to Istanbul, Selim placed Khayr Bey, a Mamluk defector, at the head of Egypt, beginning the province’s incorporation into the Ottoman imperial system.
16th century – 16th century
Syria, Palestine and Egypt
The Ottoman conquest of Egypt began with the defeat of the Mamluk army north of Aleppo in August 1516 and culminated in the defeat of Mamluk forces near Cairo in January 1517. Sultan Selim I occupied Damascus, took Syria and Palestine to the Sinai Desert, and ended the Mamluk sultanate. Egypt became an Ottoman province whose agricultural wealth, population, Red Sea position and religious prestige made it central to Ottoman power in West Asia and North Africa.
Continue exploring
The Story
At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire expanded from its bases in Asia Minor and the Balkans into the Arab lands of West Asia and North Africa. Relations between the Ottomans and the Mamluk rulers of Syria and Egypt had deteriorated since the 1480s. After Sultan Selim I’s campaign against Persia in 1514, he resolved to destroy the Mamluk–Safavid alignment and extend Ottoman authority southward.
In August 1516, Ottoman forces routed the Mamluk army north of Aleppo. Technical superiority and the defection of a pro-Ottoman faction contributed to the victory. Selim occupied Damascus and took Syria and Palestine as far as the Sinai Desert, while advisers and Mamluk amirs who had changed sides encouraged him to continue toward Egypt.
Selim reached the vicinity of Cairo and defeated the Mamluk troops in a short battle in January 1517. This victory ended the Mamluk sultanate. The conquest was aided by the contrasting economic conditions of the two states: the Ottomans controlled economically developed territories with mines, raw materials and production centres, whereas the Mamluks depended heavily on agriculture and transit trade whose spice routes had been challenged by the Portuguese.
The conquest gave the Ottomans control over Egypt’s intensive agriculture, large population and Red Sea position. It also enhanced the prestige of the Ottoman sultans, who became guardians of Mecca and Medina. Before returning to Istanbul, Selim placed Khayr Bey, a Mamluk defector, at the head of Egypt, beginning the province’s incorporation into the Ottoman imperial system.