ABSTRACT
In Muh≥arram 923/January 1517, Sultan Selêm won the decisive Battle of Rayda\niyya against T ˘u\ma\n-Ba\y, the last of the Circassian (Burjê) Mamlu\k Sultans. As a result Egypt was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, a situation which was to last for three, nominally four, centuries. Although the Mamlu\k state during the last half century of its existence suffered from oppression, civil and foreign wars, bankruptcy and chaos, Egypt was still the center of a great and unified empire and Cairo was the seat of a royal court. With the fall of the Mamlu\k Sultanate, Egypt was relegated to the status of an outlying province, merely a source of revenue for Istanbul. The Governor of Egypt, who was called Va\lê (Turkish form of the Arabic wa\lê) held the title and rank of Pasha, was nominated on a temporary, usually an annual basis, and could be recalled at any moment. Special arrangements in the administration and garrisoning of the country were made so as to curb his power and ensure the supremacy of the Ottoman government.
