Ibrahim’s smaller Egyptian army decisively defeated a larger Ottoman force at Bilan

Evidence

Ibrahim Pasha did meet his rival, Hüseyin Pasha, however, at the famous battle of Bilan at the northernmost borders of Syria just to the south of the Taurus mountains. On 29 July 1832, the Turkish army, composed of around 20,000 men, half of them regulars, under the command of Hüseyin Pasha, met the Egyptian army totaling around 16,000 men forming four infantry regiments assisted by three cavalry regiments and four artillery batteries all under the command of Ibrahim Pasha. After three and a half hours of heavy fighting Ibrahim won a decisive victory: the Ottomans lost around 1,000 men and 1,900 were taken prisoners. In addition, twelve pieces of cannon were captured by the Egyptians. For his part, Ibrahim lost 102 men and 172 horses, and 162 men were wounded. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 247

Categorization

• XREF: Specific tactical figures and casualty ratios connect to understanding Egyptian army performance versus Ottoman regular forces, a stated reading goal.