ORDER OF BATTLE // October 28, 1516
Battle of Yaunis Khan
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 9,000–11,000 estimated
Ottoman Empire
4,000–6,000
Medium-confidence figure
Mamluk Sultanate
5,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Yaunis Khan was fought on October 28, 1516, as Ottoman forces under Grand Vizier Hadım Sinan Pasha attempted to cross Gaza en route to Egypt during the Ottoman–Mamluk War of 1516–17. The Mamluk cavalry force of approximately 5,000 men under Janbirdi al-Ghazali sought to block this advance but was decisively repulsed, suffering casualties estimated between 5,000 and 6,000 against Ottoman losses of 1,000 to 2,000. Al-Ghazali was wounded in the engagement and retreated with the surviving Mamluk forces to Cairo. The battle effectively removed the last organized Mamluk field force standing between the Ottoman army and Egypt, clearing the Gaza corridor and opening the path for the Ottoman advance into Egyptian territory. The elimination of this blocking force, at a cost roughly half that inflicted on the Mamluks, demonstrated the continued Ottoman military superiority that had already been established at the Battle of Marj Dabiq earlier in the campaign and brought the final conquest of the Mamluk Sultanate measurably closer.
‹ Full battle dossier