Emir
Emir (
Arabic: ;
', "commander" or "general", later also "prince"; also transliterated as amir
or ameer''') is a high
title of nobility or office, historically used in
Islamic nations of the
Middle East,
North Africa,
Asia Minor, and the
Turkic world, among others.
While
emir is the predominant spelling in English and many other languages,
amir, closer to the original Arabic, is more common for its numerous compounds and in individual names. Spelling thus differs depending on the sources consulted.
Emir, meaning "commander" in Arabic, is derived from the Arabic
root , "to order." Originally simply meaning commander or leader, usually in reference to a group of people, it came to be used as a title of governors or rulers, usually in smaller states, and in modern Arabic usually renders the English word "prince." The word entered English in 1595, from the
French émir.
[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=amir&searchmode=none EtymologyOnLine]*A state ruled by an independent emir is an
emirate. Some emirates are sovereign, such as the
Kuwaiti
monarchy (ruled by the
al-Sabah dynasty since the country gained independence in 1961),
Qatar (since 1971), and
Bahrain (1971-2002). Emirates can also be constitutive parts of a state, notably the seven
United Arab Emirates, which belong to a federal monarchy, and are the electors of its presidency and prime minister.
*Another meaning of the word
emir is "
prince" (specifically, the male descendant of a
sovereign). This title was used in the sultanate of the
Maldives alongside the native title
Manippulu. In some states it could mean "
crown prince" (more typically
Wali al-Ahd). For example, before he was crowned as
King Abdullah of
Jordan, the son of
King Hussein was still referred to as "Emir Abdullah" (in this case an obsolete title of the dynasty, which adopted the higher title of
malik, king).
*In various Muslim states, Amir was also a nobiliary title, as under the (Turkic?) form
ämir in the Tartar
Khanate of Kazan. In
Pakistan and
India it also means "
rich," and has a connotation of immortality (
a-, "not," and
-mar, "dying"–
amir with the meaning of "eternal").
*Emir is also the title of the religious leader (without political power) of the
Ahmadiyya anjuman ishaat-i Islam, a minor Muslim sect, established in
Lahore in April 1914, with five incumbents to date.
*In northern
Nigeria and other parts of the
Sahel (including various
jihad states), the title of some Muslim traditional rulers is emir or a corruption such as
lamido, sometimes used in addition to a native title. The most prominent of these are the emirs of
Kano,
Bauchi,
Zaria, and
Adamawa.
*The
Yazidi religion has an emir as its secular leader alongside a chief
sheikh as its religious leader.
*The
caliphs first used the title
Amir al-Muminin ("Commander of the Faithful"), stressing their leadership over all Islam, especially in the military form of
jihad; both this command and the title have been assumed by various other Muslim rulers, including sultans and emirs.
*The Abbasid (in theory still universal) Caliph
Ar-Radi created the post of
Amir al-Umara ("Amir of the Amirs") for his -in fact governing-
Wasir (chief minister)
Ibn Raik; the title was used in various Islamic monarchies; cfr. infra for military use
*In
Lebanon, the ruling Emir formally used the style
al-Amir al-Hakim since, specifying it was still a ruler's title, but now as part of the Ottoman Empire; unchanged when in 1698 the Banu Shihab replaced the Banu Ma`n dynasty and on 27 May 1832 was annexed by
khedival Egypt (both nominally Ottoman), but Ottoman rule was restored on October 10, 1840, until the Mount Lebanon emirate ended on January 16, 1842, as the Ottoman Sultans divided their Lebanese province administratively, creating a Christian district in the north and an area under
Druze control in the south.
*The word Emir is also used less formally for leaders in certain contexts, for example the leader of a group of pilgrims to
Mecca is called an
emir hadji, a style sometimes used by ruling princes (as a mark of Muslim piety), sometimes awarded in their name. Where an adjectival form is necessary, "emiral" suffices.
Amirzada, the son (hence the Persian patronymic suffix
-zade) of a
prince, hence the Persian princely title
Mirza.
From the start, Emir has been a military title, roughly meaning "general" or "commander."
The Western naval rank "
admiral" comes from the Arabic naval title
amir al-bahr,
general at sea, which has been used for naval commanders and occasionally the
Ministers of Marine.
In certain decimally-organized Muslim armies, Amir was an officer rank; e.g. in
Mughal India Amirs commanded 1000 horsemen (divided into ten units, each under a
Sipah salar), ten of them under one
Malik.In the imperial army of Qajar Persia:
Amir-i-Nuyan,
Lieutenant generalAmir Panj, "Commander of 5,000" (
Brigadier general)
Amir-i-Tuman, "Commander of 10,000' (
Major general)
Amir ul-Umara, "Amir of Amirs" (cfr. supra) or 'Commander of Commanders'
Amir Yavarianfar, "Supreme amir"
In the former
Kingdom of Afghanistan,
Amir-i-Kabir was a title meaning "great prince" or "great commander."
*
Amir-i-Il designates the head of an
Il (tribe) in imperial Persia.
*Emir is also a common Muslim male name of Arab and non-Arab Muslims (see also
Azra), taken from
Arabic just as the Western name Rex ("king") is borrowed from
Latin.
Islamic titles
*
Bey*
Caliph*
Mahdi*
Mir, itself used in various compounds
*
Mirza, literally "son of an Emir"
*
Sheikh*
Sultan*
UmraoSpecific emirates of note
*
List of emirs of Harar*
List of emirs of Kuwait *
List of emirs of Qatar*
WorldStatesmen Here Religious Organisations - see also many present Muslim countries
