Yavuz Sultan Selim Han; In order to completely eliminate the Mamluk problem, he went to Egypt in 1516. He had previously made an agreement with the Mamluks not to help Iran, but the Mamluks broke the agreement. For this reason, the Mercidabık war was won, and it was Egypt’s turn.
The Ottoman army moved towards Egypt, but they faced the Sinai Desert, which was called insurmountable. The desert is a place that is hot and completely sandy like a lava criterion. It is said that only Alexander the Great crossed the desert throughout history. But the room moved with ships after a point.
The Ottoman army has been on the campaign for about 1.5 years and is very tired. Some of the viziers were not willing because they thought that it would be impossible to cross this desert and that even if it was passed, many soldiers would be lost. But Yavuz Sultan Selim is determined to cross the Sinai Desert in order not to waste time and to deliver the striking blow.
The Incident in the Sinai Desert
When he comes to the desert, Husam Pasha is sent to the desert with his men to evaluate and take precautions. Meanwhile, the army that came out of the new war goes to rest. Since it is the last watery place, the soldiers fill their containers, and the camels are loaded with water in cubes. After a while, Hüsam Pasha returns exhausted. Yavuz Sultan Selim, tell me, Pasha asks what is the situation. Hüsam Pasha speaks with a slur because the situation is actually clear. While Hüsam Pasha will say, my sultan, it is not a human job to cross this desert, Yavuz Sultan Selim gets angry and interrupts. He makes a speech saying that God will help us when we go on a journey in the way of God.
Yavuz Sultan Selim comes out of the tent and calls out to the soldiers; “O travelers of Paradise, my dear brothers! You know that Muslims fear Allah alone and alone on the battlefield and throughout their lives. No obstacle in front of him can prevent him from jihad in the way of Allah. As you obey the orders of Almighty God, I hope you will be able to cross this desert with his help.says. After rearing his horse, he starts to ride towards the desert. Then the Ottoman Army marches towards the desert. Hiking in the desert is very tough. By using water sparingly, even wudu is performed with tayammum.
While on the move in the desert, Yavuz Sultan Selim Han stops for a moment and dismounts. He ties his hands in front of him and starts walking slowly. Although the army could not understand what was happening, they had to dismount because the sultan had dismounted. The whole army starts to move in this way. But they are also curious. Where did this come from now, why is the sultan walking? It is difficult to go on foot in the desert, which is difficult to go on a horse anyway. Everyone is curious, but no one can ask because they are afraid of the sultan. There is only one person to say this. He is also his aide, and the closest is Hasan Can. They ask Hasan Can to ask.
Hasan Can approaches the sultan and quietly, my sultan’s soldier is exhausted. Since you continue on foot in this way, they continue in the same way. If we continue like this, the soldiers will be in a very difficult situation. He asks if they are wondering about the wisdom of this. Yavuz Sultan Selim Han is as if he is not there but in another realm. He says quietly without raising his head; Hasan Can, can’t you see that our Prophet (saas) guides us in front of the army. Is it permissible for us to go on horseback while he is on foot? He continues walking. Since Hasan Can stood by Yavuz Sultan Selim Han for a long time, he witnessed many miracles of his. Therefore, he understands his wisdom. The room begins to walk next to the sultan, hand in hand.
Not long after, in the Sinai desert, which has not seen rain and water for nearly 100 years, a torrential downpour begins. The sands become harder and walking becomes easier. The air cools, the soldiers meet their water needs from the formed lakes. The army continues on its way cool. In about 13 days, they crossed the desert and reached the gate of Egypt. With the Ridaniye Campaign, Egypt was conquered and included in the Ottoman lands.
