Battle of Marj Dabiq
1516 CE · Syria
The Battle of Marj Dabiq was fought in 1516 CE in Syria between Ottoman Empire vs the Mamluk Sultanate; decisive Ottoman victory; the Mamluk sultan died on the field and Syria fell to the Ottomans.
Battle of Marj Dabiq: quick facts
- Date
- 1516 CE
- Location
- Syria
- Belligerents
- Ottoman Empire vs the Mamluk Sultanate
- Commanders
- Selim I vs Qansuh al-Ghawri
- Result
- decisive Ottoman victory; the Mamluk sultan died on the field and Syria fell to the Ottomans.
- Era
- ⚔️ Ottoman & Islamic Empires
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Marj Dabiq?
Sultan Selim I's Ottoman army routed the Mamluk Sultanate's forces under Sultan al-Ghawri north of Aleppo. The Mamluks, who disdained firearms as dishonorable, were devastated by Ottoman artillery and musket fire. Al-Ghawri was killed during the battle amid mass defections from his own ranks. The victory gave the Ottomans control of Syria and opened the road to the conquest of Egypt and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Did you know?
The Mamluk warriors at Marj Dabiq considered firearms to be a cowardly and dishonorable weapon, clinging to traditional cavalry combat even as Ottoman muskets and cannons mowed them down.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Marj Dabiq on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.