Selim I, known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute, was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is notable for the enormous expansion of the Empire, particularly his conquest between 1516 and 1517 of the entire Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, which included all of the Levant, Hejaz, Tihamah and Egypt itself. On the eve of his death in 1520, the Ottoman Empire spanned about 3.4 million km2 (1.3 million sq mi), having grown by seventy percent during Selim's reign.
16th century miniature of Selim I by Nakkaş Osman
Selim I at the Battle of Chaldiran: artwork at the Chehel Sotoun Pavilion in Isfahan
Outline of the Ottoman Empire, from the Theatro d'el Orbe de la Tierra de Abraham Ortelius, Antwerp, 1602, updated from the 1570 edition
A painting depicting Selim I during the Egypt campaign, located in Army Museum, Istanbul
Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–1517)
The Ottoman–Mamluk War of 1516–1517 was the second major conflict between the Egypt-based Mamluk Sultanate and the Ottoman Empire, which led to the fall of the Mamluk Sultanate and the incorporation of the Levant, Egypt, and the Hejaz as provinces of the Ottoman Empire. The war transformed the Ottoman Empire from a realm at the margins of the Islamic world, mainly located in Anatolia and the Balkans, to a huge empire encompassing much of the traditional lands of Islam, including the cities of Mecca, Cairo, Damascus, and Aleppo. Despite this expansion, the seat of the empire's political power remained in Constantinople.
News pamphlet relating the Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–1517), including an account of Sultan Selim's visit to Jerusalem. Printed in Basel, dated 1518
Ottoman Sipahi heavy cavalry, c. 1550. Musée de l'Armée
Ottoman volley gun with 9 barrels, early 16th century