The Ottoman-Portuguese rivalry played an essential role for many states in terms of the fate of

the Eastern Mediterranean trade. When it comes to the Mediterranean and Indian trade, many
states such as Venice, Portugal, Mamluks, and Safavids are on the same stage as the Ottomans.

The Portuguese aimed to bring the spice trade directly to Europe from the Indian and Atlantic
Oceans with their ships, instead of the Mamluk state, which held the warehouses of the spice
route in Western Asia, and Venice, which carried the goods coming this way from the Mamluk
and Ottoman ports in the Mediterranean to Europe. For this purpose, they wanted to cut off the
old trade routes competing with the new trade routes. The Ottoman policy in the south, which
developed after this, aimed to ensure the security of trade in the Basra and the Red Sea and
even in the Indian Ocean. With the arrival of the Portuguese in Hormuz in 1507, they began to
take place on the lines of the Cape of Good Hope, the Pacific Ocean, the Red Sea, the Basra, the
Indian Ocean, and India, is an important reason and part of the Ottoman-Portuguese conflict.

To fight against Portugal, the Mamluks often asked for help from the Ottomans. They were
accepting these demands, II. Bayezid both prevented the Safavid-Mamluk alliance and started
to plan future expeditions to the east. In short, since the Ottomans knew that the spice trade
would be secured, the development of commercial activity in Egypt, the dominance in the Red
Sea and the breaking of Portuguese influence would be achieved with a strong administration
and a strong navy to be established there, they tried to provide all kinds of aid and improve
their equipment despite the tight competition between them.

In addition, the Mamluks were in the geography of the holy places, and they were in control of
the trade routes from the Indian Sea to the Mediterranean. However, it was also weak against
Portugal, which endangered the Islamic world. the Portuguese attempted to occupy Aden; The
threat of seizing Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina, and taking away the holy relics of the Prophet
directed the attention of the Ottomans to the region. Due to the most powerful state of the
Islamic world and its policy of Islamic unity, the Ottomans couldn't turn a blind eye to the
Portuguese threats, and Selim decided that the capture of Egypt was inevitable. Because while
the Ottomans were becoming a great power in the Mediterranean, the Portuguese established
a maritime empire in India and South East Asia. Portugal's intervention in the Red Sea resulted
in the relentless struggle of the Ottomans, who wanted to continue the balance of power in the
Eastern Mediterranean.

The fact that he could not find a solution to internal unrest in the Islamic world had difficulty in
meeting the Portuguese threat, on the other hand, the issue of the Dulkadıroğulları Principality
and the Safavid threat prepared the ground for war between the two states. The Ottomans won
the war in Mercidâbık and Syria came under Ottoman rule. Then the Mamluk resistance was
broken in Ridaniye; Ottoman forces captured Cairo and dominated the situation due to brutal
street clashes. Thus, Ottoman domination in Egypt began in 1517 due to Yavuz Sultan Selim's
expedition to this place.

When Yavuz Sultan Selim put an end to the Mamluks State, the Hijaz region, which was under
the political influence of this state, also recognized the Ottoman domination and Şerif II. Berekât
b. Muhammad sent his son to the Ottoman ruler, who was given the title of "Hadimü'l-
Haremeyn", and submitted the keys of Mecca and submitted to obedience. The Ottomans left
the administration of Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah to them.

In the meantime, after the conquest of Egypt, Selman Reis came to Egypt on August 23, 1517,
came to Selim's presence and entered Ottoman service, became the first Suez captain, and was
given the banner of Jeddah. In 1517, the Ottoman admiral Salman Reis repelled the Portuguese
attacking Jeddah, then in 1525, he went to Yemen with his navy to go to the Indian Ocean. The
Ottomans are aware of the necessity of absolute dominance of the Eastern Mediterranean, as
they are in the idea of a campaign to the West.

With the conquest of Egypt by Selim, the Ottomans came into direct contact with countries such
as Nubia, Abyssinia, Zengibar by land, and Aden and India by sea. After that, the Ottomans
expanded in the western Mediterranean against both the Spanish Habsburgs and France; He
embarked on building a new and stronger Ottoman navy to end the eastern seas blockade of
Portugal, which had done great harm to the Arab world.

The conflicts with the Portuguese continued during the reign of Süleyman I. In order to
eliminate the Portuguese element that threatens Islam in addition to its own interests, the
Ottoman Empire turned its direction to the Middle East and put an end to the Mamluks, which
were ineffective elements. In this process, he became the patron of Islam and the Hijaz roads.
The threat of Portugal, and the mamluk-Safavid relations may have drawn this Ottoman policy
earlier than it should have been.