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Emir

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For other uses, seeEmir (disambiguation).
"Amir" redirects here. For the name, seeAmir (name).For other uses, seeAmir (disambiguation).
The court of theDurrani EmirateofAfghanistanin 1839

Emir(/əˈmɪər,eɪˈmɪər,ˈeɪmɪər/;Arabic:أميرʾamīr[ʔæˈmiːr](listenⓘ), alsotransliteratedasamir,is a word ofArabicorigin that can refer to a malemonarch,aristocrat,holder of high-rankingmilitaryor political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has a long history of use in theArab World,East Africa,West Africa,Central Asia,and theIndian subcontinent.In the modern era, when used as a formal monarchical title, it is roughly synonymous with "prince",applicable both to a son of a hereditary monarch, and to a reigning monarch of a sovereignprincipality,namely anemirate.Thefeminineform isemira(أميرةʾamīrah), with the same meaning as "princess".

Prior to its use as a monarchical title, the term "emir" was historically used to denote a "commander", "general", or "leader" (for example,Amir al-Mu'min). In contemporary usage, "emir" is also sometimes used as either an honorary or formal title for the head of an Islamic, or Arab (regardless of religion) organisation or movement.

QatarandKuwaitare the only independent countries which retain the title "emir" for their monarchs. In recent years, the title has been gradually replaced by "king" by contemporary hereditary rulers who wish to emphasize their secular authority under the rule of law. A notable example isBahrain,whose monarch changed his title from emir to king in 2002.[1]

Origins

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Amir,meaning "lord" or "commander-in-chief",is derived from theArabicroota-m-r,"command". Originally simply meaning "commander", it came to be used as a title of leaders, governors, or rulers of smaller states. In modern Arabic the word is analogous to the title "Prince". The word enteredEnglishin 1593, from theFrenchémir.[2]It was one of the titles or names of theIslamicprophetMuhammad.[citation needed]

Princely, ministerial and noble titles

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Emir of Kano,Sanusi Lamido Sanusi
Mohammed Alim Khan,Emir ofBukhara,taken in 1911 bySergey Prokudin-Gorsky
  • The monarchs ofQatarandKuwaitare currently titled emir.[3][4][5]
  • All members of theHouse of Saudhave the title ofemir(prince).[6][7][8]
  • Thecaliphsfirst used the titleAmir al-Mumininor "Commander of the Faithful", stressing their leadership over the Islamic empire, especially over the militia. The title has been assumed by various otherMuslimrulers, including sultans and emirs. ForShiaMuslims, they still give this title to the CaliphAliasAmir al-Muminin.
  • TheAbbasid(in theory still universal) CaliphAl-Radicreated the post ofAmir al-Umara( "Amir of the Amirs" ) forIbn Raik;the title was used in various Islamic monarchies; see below for military use. In Iraq, the direct descendants of previous Emirs from the largest tribes who ruled the kingdoms before modern statehood, use the title of Sheikh or Prince as the progeny of royalty.[9][10]
  • Formerly inLebanon,the ruling emir formally used the styleal-Amir al-Hakim,specifying it was still the ruler's title. The title was held byDruzeandChristiansas well.[citation needed]
  • The wordemiris also used less formally for leaders in certain contexts. For example, the leader of a group ofpilgrimstoMeccais called anemir hadji,a title sometimes used by ruling princes (as a mark of Muslim piety) which is sometimes awarded in their name. Where an adjectival form is necessary, "emiral" suffices.[citation needed]
  • Amirzade,the son (hence the Persian patronymic suffix-zade) of a prince, hence the Persian princely titlemirza.
  • Thetraditional rulersof the predominantly Muslim northern regions ofNigeriaare known as emirs, while the titular sovereign of their now defunct empire is formally styled as theSultan of Sokoto,Amir-al-Muminin (orSarkin Musulmiin theHausa language).[citation needed]
  • The temporal leader of theYazidipeople is known as an emir or prince.[citation needed]
  • Afghanistanunder the government of theTalibanis officially an emirate, with theleaderof the Taliban bearing the titleAmir al-Mu'minin.
  • Amīr al-Baḥr(أمير البحر,"commander of the sea" ), a position in theFatimid navy,is frequentlymistakenas theetymologicalorigin of the Englishadmiral,the Frenchamiral,and similar terms in other European languages.[11]The titles actually derive solely fromMedieval Latinforms of emir itself,[11]originally in reference to the "amirs al-umara"ofNorman Sicily.

Military ranks and titles

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See also:Amir (Iranian Army)

From the start,emirhas been a military title. In the 9th century the term was used to denote a ruler of a state i.e.Italy'sEmirate of Sicily.

In certain decimally-organized Muslim armies, Amir was an officer rank. For example, inMughal India,the Amirs commanded 1000 horsemen (divided into ten units, each under asipah salar), ten of them under onemalik.In the imperial army ofQajarPersia:

  • Amir-i-Nuyan
  • Amir Panj,"Commander of 5,000"
  • Amir-i-Tuman,"Commander of 10,000"

The following posts referred to "amir" under medieval Muslim states include:

In the formerKingdom of Afghanistan,Amir-i-Kabirwas a title meaning "great prince" or "great commander".

Muhammad Amin Bughra,Nur Ahmad Jan Bughra,andAbdullah Bughradeclared themselves emirs of theFirst East Turkestan Republic.

Other uses

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  • Amir is a masculine name in thePersian languageand a prefix name for many masculine names such as Amir Ali, Amir Abbas.
  • Amir-i-Iel designates the head of anIl(tribe) in imperial Persia.
  • The masculineAmirand feminineAmiraareArabic-languagenames common among both Arabs regardless of religion and Muslims regardless of ethnicity, much as LatinRexandRegina( "king" and "queen", respectively) are common in the Western world. InBosnia and Herzegovina,the female name Emira, often interpreted as "princess", is a derivative of the male name Emir.
  • The masculineAmirand feminineAmiraareHebrew-languagenames that are relatively common in Israel. In Hebrew the word can also mean "bundle of grain" or "treetop" depending on the spelling.

See also

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Specific emirates of note

References

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  1. ^"Ruling Bahrain (Part I): The emir declares himself king".14 March 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 5 September 2022.Retrieved5 September2022.
  2. ^Harper, Douglas."amir (n.)".Online Etymology Dictionary.Archivedfrom the original on 2 July 2017.Retrieved29 June2017.
  3. ^"Emir of Kuwait wraps up Gulf mediation visits – Qatar News – Al Jazeera".aljazeera.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-06-07.Retrieved2018-12-31.
  4. ^"Gulf Ministers Hold Key Talks Before GCC Summit".MalaysianDigest.December 5, 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-01-15.Retrieved2018-01-15.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^Al Qasimi, Muhammad."Sheikh Dr Sultan".Archivedfrom the original on 2014-04-10.Retrieved2020-09-30.
  6. ^Amos, Deborah (1991)."Sheikh to Chic".Mother Jones. p. 28.Archivedfrom the original on 3 August 2020.Retrieved12 July2016.
  7. ^"Saudi Arabia: HRH or HH? - American Bedu".7 August 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 7 August 2016.
  8. ^"Family Tree".datarabia.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2017.Retrieved7 December2016.
  9. ^Howell, Georgina (15 January 2015).Queen of The Desert: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell.Pan Books.ISBN9781447286264.
  10. ^Batatu, Hanna (1978).The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq: A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of its Communists, Ba'thists and Free Officers.Princeton University Press.
  11. ^ab"admiral,n.",Oxford English Dictionary,Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024.
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