Emir
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- For other uses, see Ameer (disambiguation).
Emir (Arabic: أمير; ʾamīr, "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.
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[edit] Origins
Emir, meaning "commander" in Arabic, is derived from the Arabic root ʾ-m-r, "command". 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. Amir Sadri." The word entered English in 1595, from the French émir.[1]
[edit] Usage
- 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 Fulbe 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.
[edit] Princely, ministerial and noble titles
- 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.
[edit] Military ranks and titles
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 general
- Amir 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."
[edit] Other uses
- Amir-i-Il designates the head of an Il (tribe) in imperial Persia.
- Emir is also a common Muslim male name for Arab and non-Arab Muslims (see also Azra), taken from Arabic just as the Western name Rex ("king") is borrowed from Latin. In Bosnia and Herzegovina female-name Emira - often interpreted as "princess" - is a derivative of male-name Emir.
[edit] See also
Specific emirates of note
Islamic titles
- Amir al-Muminin
- Bey
- Caliph
- Mahdi
- Mir, itself used in various compounds
- Mirza, literally "son of an Emir"
- Sheikh
- Sultan
- Umrao
Emirs in fiction:
- Abdul Abulbul Amir character & song
[edit] Sources and references
- ^ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=amir&searchmode=none EtymologyOnLine
- WorldStatesmen Here Religious Organisations - see also many present Muslim countries
