Battle of Yaunis Khan
| Battle of Yaunis Khan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–17) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ottoman Empire |
 Mamluk Sultanate | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Selim I Hadım Sinan Pasha |
Janbirdi al-Ghazali (WIA) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
1,000–2,000 killed[2] |
5,000–6,000 killed, 2,000–3,000 captured[2] | ||||||
The Battle of Yaunis Khan, also known as the Battle of Khan Yunis (Turkish: Han Yunus Muharebesi), was fought on October 28, 1516, between the Ottoman Empire and the Mamluk Sultanate. The Mamluk cavalry forces led by Janbirdi al-Ghazali attacked the Ottomans that were trying to cross Gaza on their way to Egypt. The Ottomans, led by Grand Vizier Hadım Sinan Pasha, were able to break the Egyptian Mamluk cavalry charge. Al-Ghazali was wounded during the confrontation, and the left-over Mamluk forces and their commander Al-Ghazali retreated to Cairo.[3]
Battle
[edit]After the battle of Marj Dabiq, the Ottoman army entered Aleppo on August 28, 1516, and Damascus on September 27-October 3. After this victory, Yavuz Sultan Selim sent İsabeyzade Mehmed Bey with 2,000 cavalry to Gaza.[4] Ottoman troops captured Gaza on October 28, 1516.[5]
In Cairo, Mamluk Sultan Tuman Bay II sent Janbirdi al-Ghazali with a force of 10,000 to Gaza. Many Mamluk beys also joined the expedition. In response to this force, a force of 5,000 soldiers under the command of Hadım Sinan Pasha met at Khan Yunus on December 21, 1516. In the battle that lasted 7-8 hours from morning to afternoon, the outcome was determined by the Ottomans' firepower, which held true for the battles of Chaldiran and Marj Dabiq. As a result of the battle, a significant portion of the Mamluk forces were killed and a significant portion was captured, including the Mamluk lords. Canberdi Ghazali was able to leave the battlefield with approximately 1,000 soldiers.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Dupuy, R. Ernest and Trevor N. Dupuy, Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography, 4th Edition, (HarperCollins Publishers, 1993), 540.
- ^ a b c Danişmend, İsmail Hami. İzahlı Osmanlı Tarihi Kronolojisi (in Turkish). Vol. 2. Türk Tarih Kurumu. p. 31.
- ^ "History and Chronology of Battle of Yaunis Khan in Turkey". datesofhistory.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
- ^ "Great Ottoman History", Joseph von Hammer, v.4, p.215
- ^ Ring 1996, p. 200.
Citations
[edit]- Ring, Trudy (1996). Middle East and Africa: International Dictionary of Historic Places. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1-884964-03-6. ISBN 9781884964039 (13).