Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

Battle of Marj Dabiq

Battle of Marj Dabiq was a battle fought on 24 August 1516 at Dabiq, in what is now Syria. It was part of the Ottoman–Mamluk War of 1516–17, which ran from 1516 to 1517. The recorded result: Ottoman victory. Recorded strength: 60,000 against 60,000–80,000MamluksAuxiliary forcesBedouin Arabs.

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Likely Battle of Marj Dabiq (1516), between Mamluks (left) and Ottomans (1516-17, miniature). Selīm-nāma, by Şūkrī-i Bitlisī, 1524 (National Library of Israel, Ms. Yah. Ar. 1116) Folio 209
Likely Battle of Marj Dabiq (1516), between Mamluks (left) and Ottomans (1516-17, miniature). Selīm-nāma, by Şūkrī-i Bitlisī, 1524 (National Library of Israel, Ms. Yah. Ar. 1116) Folio 209. 1524, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought24 August 1516
WhereDabiq, Syria36.545N, 37.275E
OutcomeOttoman victory
BelligerentsOttoman Empire; Mamluk rebels; Ma'n dynastyagainstMamluk Sultanate
Casualties and losses10,000–25,000 killedand7,000–65,000 killed; 2,000 executed
Part ofOttoman–Mamluk War of 1516–171516 to 1517

Where it sits in the Ottoman–Mamluk War of 1516–17

Battle of Marj Dabiq, 1516Capture of Aleppo, 1516Capture of Damascus, 1516Battle of Yaunis Khan, 1516Battle of Gaza, 1516Capture of Cairo, 1517Battle of Ridaniya, 151715161517Battle of Marj Dabiq, 1516
7 placed engagements of the Ottoman–Mamluk War of 1516–17 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date24 August 1516
PlaceDabiq, Syria
36.545N, 37.275E
KindBattle, early modern
Territorial changeOttoman annexation of Syria
Strength60,00060,000–80,000MamluksAuxiliary forcesBedouin Arabs
Casualties and losses10,000–25,000 killed7,000–65,000 killed; 2,000 executed
Commanders
  • Selim I
  • Hadım Sinan Pasha
  • Bıyıklı Mehmed Pasha
  • Fakhr al-Din I
  • Hayır Bey
  • Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghuri
  • Janbirdi al-Ghazali
  • Alaa el-Din bin el-Emam
Battle of Marj DabiqBattle of Marj DabiqBattle of AzazBattle of InabCharge at HaritanBattle of AleppoSiege of AleppoBattle of InabCharge at HaritanBattle of AleppoSiege of AleppoAdanaGaziantepŞanlıurfaAr RaqqahSamandagiKilisLatakiaKahramanmaraş100 km36.545N, 37.275E
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 Battle of Marj Dabiq
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Marj Dabiq today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-17. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 449 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 435 to 493 m, 59 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 92% cropland, 7% built-up.

cropland: 92%built-up: 7%cropland 92%built-up 7%
west to east, 10.0 km448 to 475 mnorth to south, 10.0 km447 to 463 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 1516

Battle of Marj Dabiq is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 133 in present-day Syria.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q971248, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Marj Dabiq, revision 1385422931, 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.