تاريخ غزوة السلطان سليم مع قانصوه الغوري ويليه (الدر المصان في سيرة المظفر سليم خان)

Tarikh Ghazwat al-Sultan Salim ma'a Qansuh al-Ghawri wa-Yalihi al-Durr al-Masun fi Sirat al-Muzaffar Salim Khan

An important collection of two early historical accounts documenting the Ottoman conquest of the Mamluk Sultanate, one of the most consequential turning points in Islamic history. The works offer valuable perspectives on the military campaigns of Ottoman Sultan Selim I (d. 926 AH / 1520 CE) against the Mamluk rulers of Egypt and Syria, which culminated in the collapse of the Mamluk Sultanate in 923 AH / 1517 CE.

The first work, Tārīkh Ghazwat al-Sulṭān Salīm maʿa Qānṣūh al-Ghawrī, was composed by Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Zunbul, a sixteenth-century Egyptian historian known for his account of the Ottoman conquest.

It recounts the conflict between Sultan Selim I and al-Malik al-Ashraf Qānṣūh al-Ghawrī, the penultimate Mamluk Sultan, whose reign ended with the disastrous Battle of Marj Dābiq in 922 AH / 1516 CE. This decisive engagement resulted in the defeat of the Mamluk army and opened the way for Ottoman control of Syria.

The narrative also follows the subsequent struggle in Egypt, particularly the resistance of Sultan Ṭūmān Bāy II, the last Mamluk ruler, who continued fighting the advancing Ottoman forces until the final collapse of Mamluk rule.

Ibn Zunbul's account is especially noteworthy for its vivid narrative style and detailed portrayal of the Mamluk amirs, soldiers and military encounters. Rather than presenting a bare chronological record, he relates the events through dramatic descriptions, conversations and accounts of the personalities involved, providing an engaging portrayal of the final days of the Mamluk state.

The second work, al-Durr al-Maṣūn fī Sīrat al-Muẓaffar Salīm Khān, was composed by ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Lakhmī al-Ishbīlī, a scholar of the tenth Islamic century.

This accompanying text presents an account of Sultan Selim I and his military achievements, offering a complementary perspective on the Ottoman ruler whose campaigns transformed the political geography of the Muslim world.

Together, the two works provide valuable material for understanding the transition from Mamluk to Ottoman rule, the military and political circumstances surrounding the conquest, and the differing ways in which contemporary and near-contemporary writers portrayed these events.

They are particularly useful for students of Islamic history because they preserve early historical narratives rather than relying exclusively upon the interpretations of later historians. At the same time, their dramatic and sometimes partisan character makes them especially interesting sources for examining how the Ottoman conquest was remembered and represented.

Good-quality edition. The edges of some pages might contain slight discolouring due to age as this edition was printed in 2004.