January 22, 1517

Battle of Ridaniya

Selim I defeats Tuman Bay’s Mamluk army at Ridaniya

Tuman Bay buried heavy guns in the sand for a surprise salvo. The Ottomans turned toward Mokattam before they ever entered his killing zone.

Morning of 22 January 1517, outside Cairo

On the morning of 22 January 1517, Sultan Selim I's Ottoman army advanced against Sultan Tuman Bay's fortified Mamluk position at Ridaniya, between Matariya and Jabal al-Ahmar outside Cairo.

Tuman Bay had wanted to attack the travel-weary Ottomans at Salihiyya, but abandoned that plan after his emirs insisted on a fortified defence near the capital.

The Gregorian date varies by a day across the literature. The TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi identifies 22 January as the correct conversion of 28 Dhu al-Hijja 922 and attributes 23 January — printed by Cambridge histories and other major works — to a one-day Hijri-calendar variation.

A flank attack, and camels that ran the wrong way

Forewarned about the Mamluk trenches and concealed artillery by Khayr Bey's network, the Ottomans turned toward the Mokattam heights before entering effective range and struck the Mamluk position from its flank.

Ottoman infantry, light artillery and firearms disrupted the Mamluk deployment. The Mamluks had to leave their prepared defences, and their left wing broke under fire.

The Mamluks tried to use camels as moving cover, but the animals panicked under gunfire, ran backward and trampled some of their own cavalry.

Cairo was not secured that day

Tuman Bay and his emirs charged toward the Ottoman command position. After roughly seven or eight hours the Mamluk field army was routed and Tuman Bay withdrew toward Cairo.

Grand Vizier Hadım Sinan Pasha was mortally wounded during the battle. Accounts disagree about who struck him: the TDV assessment considers the famous story naming Tuman Bay as his personal killer unlikely and records a competing account involving Janbirdi al-Ghazali's cavalry.

Ottoman troops were admitted to Cairo the next day, but Tuman Bay remained free. He returned with thousands of supporters on the night of 27–28 January, beginning three days of street fighting.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 5 sources not yet audited Date disputed

How this was checked

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Date disputed. Sources disagree about when this happened.

What the sources leave uncertain

The TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi identifies 22 January as the correct conversion of 28 Dhu al-Hijja 922 and says 23 January results from failing to account for a one-day Hijri-calendar variation.
Other major works, including Cambridge histories, print 23 January. The underlying battle is not disputed, but its Gregorian conversion varies by one day.
The story that Tuman Bay personally killed Sinan Pasha after mistaking him for Selim appears in one Mamluk tradition; the TDV assessment considers that specific version unlikely and records a competing account involving Janbirdi al-Ghazali’s cavalry.