Selim I (1470-1520), 9th sultan (1512-1520) of the Ottoman Empire, who occupied the Arab Middle East and added it to his empire. After securing power at home, Selim focused on expanding and consolidating Ottoman rule. Between 1514 and 1517 Selim subdued the Persian Safavid dynasty to the east (weakening but not occupying this traditional Ottoman enemy), secured easy victories against the Mamelukes in Syria, and finally crossed the Sinai Peninsula in a five days to capture and execute the Mameluke sultan in Egypt. In response, the guardian of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina sent Selim the keys to Cairo's most sacred shrines; the Ottoman sultan thus became an Islamic caliph.

With peace secured in both the east and the west, Selim finished moving the Ottoman government from the old capital of Edirne to Istanbul, developed a criminal code, and created a powerful Ottoman naval fleet. During Selim's reign thousands of Egyptian merchants, artists, and religious leaders sailed to Istanbul, creating a vigorous cultural and intellectual atmosphere there. Selim died in the village of Siirt, in 1520, possibly of cancer or a carbuncle. At his death the empire stretched from the Danube River and the Adriatic Sea in Europe to the banks of the Nile River and the Indian Ocean in Africa and Asia. Suleiman became sultan on Selim's death; during Suleiman's reign, the empire reached its peak in power.