Selim I conquers the Mamluk Sultanate and the holy cities
- Date
- January 1517
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- Egypt, Syria and the Hejaz
- Era
- Early Modern
- Significance
Between 1516 and 1517 Sultan Selim I defeated the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, first at Marj Dabiq near Aleppo (August 1516) and decisively at Ridaniya outside Cairo (January 1517), capturing the city later that month.
The conquest brought Syria, Palestine, Egypt and the Hejaz, including the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, under Ottoman rule. Selim assumed the role of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the Ottoman sultans increasingly claimed the title of caliph, presenting themselves as protectors of Sunni Islam. The victory roughly doubled the empire's territory, gave it command of the lucrative Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean trade routes, and transferred the prestige of guardianship over the pilgrimage to Istanbul. By absorbing the wealthiest provinces of the Arab world, the Ottomans became the dominant power of the Islamic Middle East, a position they would hold for four centuries.
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Empires active in January 1517
- Ming Dynasty1368 CE – 1644 CE
- Songhai Empire1464 CE – 1591 CE
- Inca Empire1438 CE – 1533 CE
- Aztec Empire1428 CE – 1521 CE
- Ottoman Empire1299 CE – 1922 CE
- Solomonic dynasty1270 CE – 1974 CE
Related politics & governance events
- Suleiman the Magnificent and the codification of Ottoman law1520–1566 (reign of Suleiman)
- Peace of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years' WarOctober 1648
- The English Reformation: Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy1534
- The New Laws and the debate over the encomienda20 November 1542
- The Peace of Augsburg25 September 1555
- Akbar's religious tolerance and administrative reforms1564 (jizya abolished); 1582 (Din-i Ilahi)
Further reading
The wider story
Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire
The standard readable single-volume Ottoman history.
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