A Circassian who like his predecessors, had been a domestic slave of the palace, Tuman gradually rose to the position of prime minister, an office he held until the departure of Sultan Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri, who left him in charge of Cairo.

By December of 1516, Tripoli, Safed and other Syrian strongholds, besides Damascus, had fallen into Ottoman hands, leading Emir Janberdi Al-Ghazali to set out with a force gathered in Cairo in hopes of preventing Gaza from the same.

The news of Al-Ghazali's discomfiture deteriorated the situation further, as he attributed the defeat not only to the numbers of the enemy but to the cowardice of his mercenary followers, while even his loyalty began to be suspected.

Sultan Tuman now resolved himself to march out as far as Salahia, and meet with the Turks, weary by the desert journey,[3] but yielded to his emirs who entrenched themselves at Ridanieh, a little way out of the city.

[3] Sultan Tuman fought along with a band of devoted followers; he threw himself into the midst of the Turkish ranks and reached even to Selim's tent.

[3] The following night, Sultan Tuman reappeared in Cairo and with his Bedouin allies took possession of the weakly garrisoned city, and at daylight they drove back the Ottomans with great loss.

But at midnight the Turkish invaders again returned with overpowering force and scattered the Mamluks into their hiding places, while the Sultan fled across the Nile to Giza, and eventually found refuge in Upper Egypt.

The son of Sultan Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri was received with distinction and granted the college founded by his father as a dwelling place.

Emir Janberdi Al-Ghazali, who had fought at the Battle of Ridanieh, cast himself at Selim's feet, was received with honor and even given a command to fight against the Bedouins.

[3] Though supported by his General Shadi Bay he was, after two days of fighting, beaten and sought refuge with a Bedouin chief whose life he once saved, but who now betrayed him into Turkish hands.

The captive Sultan held a noble front, denying complicity in the assassination, and speaking out so fearlessly on the justice of his cause and duty to fight for the honor and independence of his people, that Selim was inclined to spare him and carry him in his train to Constantinople.

The argument was persuasive and so the unfortunate Tuman Bay II was cast into prison and shortly after hanged as a malefactor at Bab Zuweila on April 15, 1517.

The death of Tuman created such a sensation that an attempt was made by an emir and a body of devoted followers to assassinate Sultan Selim by night.