Atlas of Battles

battle, major, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

First Battle of Abukir

First Battle of Abukir was a battle fought on 25 July 1799 at Abu Qir, in what is now Egypt. It was part of the French invasion of Egypt and Syria, which ran from 1798 to 1801. The recorded result: French victory.

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First Battle of Abukir
Antoine-Jean Gros, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought25 July 1799
WhereAbu Qir, Egypt31.317N, 30.067E
OutcomeFrench victory
BelligerentsFrench First RepublicagainstOttoman Empire; Kingdom of Great Britain
Casualties and losses220 killed; 600 woundedand2,000 killed; 11,000 drowned; 5,000 captured; 2,000 missing
Part ofFrench invasion of Egypt and Syria1798 to 1801

Where it sits in the French invasion of Egypt and Syria

Capture of Alexandria, 1798Battle of Shubra Khit, 1798Battle of the Nile, 1798Battle of El Salheya, 1798Battle of Salahieh, 1798Battle of El Lahun, 1798Siege of Acre, 1799Battle of Samanouth, 1799Battle of Aswan, 1799Siege of El Arish, 1799Siege of Jaffa, 1799Battle of Nazareth, 1799Battle of Mount Tabor, 1799First Battle of Abukir, 1799Battle of Damietta, 1799Siege of El Arish, 1799Battle of Heliopolis, 1800Second Battle of Abukir, 1801Battle of Alexandria, 1801Siege of El Rahmaniya, 1801Battle of Al Khankah, 180117981801First Battle of Abukir, 1799
21 placed engagements of the French invasion of Egypt and Syria in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date25 July 1799
PlaceAbu Qir, Egypt
31.317N, 30.067E
KindBattle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength9,000 infantry; 1,000 cavalry; 17 guns20,000; 30 guns (Estimates attributed to Napoleon and Bourrienne.); 7,000–8,000 (Estimates attributed to Mustafa Pasha and Sidney Smith.)
Casualties and losses220 killed; 600 wounded2,000 killed; 11,000 drowned; 5,000 captured; 2,000 missing
Commanders
  • Mustafa Pasha (Egypt)
  • Patrona Bey
First Battle of AbukirFirst Battle of AbukirSecond Battle of AbukirBattle of the NileBattle of MandoraBattle of AlexandriaCapture of AlexandriaBattle of AlexandriaEl MansuraTantaRashidEl DabaEl AlameinZagazigBenha100 km31.317N, 30.067E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of First Battle of Abukir
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of First Battle of Abukir today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-18. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 4 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -9 to 36 m, 45 m of relief, flat country and today it is 64% water, 23% built-up, 5% grassland.

water: 64%built-up: 23%grassland: 5%bare ground: 4%cropland: 3%water 64%built-up 23%grassland 5%bare ground 4%cropland 3%
west to east, 10.0 km-1 to 15 mnorth to south, 10.0 km-1 to 17 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1799

First Battle of Abukir is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 110 in present-day Egypt.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q778800, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Abukir (1799), revision 1373172066, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.