French victory over Mamluk forces opened Cairo to Napoleon and accelerated the decline of Mamluk rule in Egypt.
Key Facts
- Date
- 21 July 1798
- French casualties
- ~300
- Mamluk–Ottoman casualties
- Several thousand to ~10,000
- Named after
- Great Pyramid of Giza (distant landmark)
- Follow-up defeat
- French navy lost at Battle of the Nile, 10 days later
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After seizing Alexandria, Napoleon's army advanced toward Cairo during the French invasion of Egypt. Murad Bey's Mamluk-led Ottoman forces positioned themselves near the village of Embabeh to block the French advance, setting the stage for a direct confrontation between the two armies.
On 21 July 1798, the French army deployed into large divisional squares that repelled repeated Mamluk cavalry charges. French forces then stormed the fortified village of Embabeh, inflicting heavy losses estimated at several thousand to 10,000 on the Mamluk–Ottoman side, against roughly 300 French casualties.
The defeat shattered Murad Bey's field army, forcing his retreat to Upper Egypt and opening Cairo to French occupation. Napoleon established a new administration there, though local uprisings soon followed. The strategic gain was curtailed when Vice-admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile just ten days later.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Napoleon Bonaparte.
Side B
1 belligerent
Murad Bey.