Selim's reign marked one more thing: the Ottoman Empire with the conquest of the Mameluke Sultanate, now officially became an Islamic caliphate, where governance was based on orthodox Islamic law (Sharia ).
Selim's regeringstid markerede endnu en ting, nemlig at Det Osmanniske Rige med erobringen af Mameluk-sultanatet, nu officielt blev et islamisk kalifat, hvor styreformen var baseret på ortodoks islamisk lov (sharia).