( ar, مشير) is an Arabic word meaning "counsellor" or "advisor". It is related to the word shura, meaning consultation or "taking counsel". As an official title, it historically indicates a personal advisor to the ruler. In this use it is roughly comparable to the European titles of State Counsellor and Counsellor of State. In a military context, became associated with the idea of the ruler's personal counsellor or advisor on military matters, and as such became the highest rank in Arab countries and the Ottoman Empire. It is used as the highest rank in most armed forces of the Middle East and North Africa, for armies, navies, and air forces. It is therefore equivalent to the ranks of

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

and Admiral of the Fleet.

Iraq

In Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi Navy maintained a fleet admiral rank known as . A Mushir was the most senior of all naval officers and the rank was rarely bestowed. The sleeve insignia was the same as a British Admiral of the Fleet. The rank of Mushir in Iraq is known as "Muhib" and is used in all official and unofficial addresses. Saddam Hussein as commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces was an honorary "staff muhib" () in the Iraqi army, and the uniform which he typically wore was that of a staff muhib. He was the only muhib in the

Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was known as the Royal Iraqi Army up until the coup ...

, for the minister of defence and the chief of staff held the rank of (), or "staff general". (Hussein never actually served in the Iraqi Army but commanded as ruler of Iraq.) After Hussein's fall in the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

, the rank of Mushir became obsolete in the new Iraqi military.

Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, the rank of Mushir is typically held ceremonially by the

House of Saud The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...

, and translated as "First class Field Marshal".

List of Egyptian field marshals

Kingdom of Egypt

* Abbas I Hilmi Pasha (1813–1854) * Ibrahim Pasha (1789–1848) *

Yahya Mansur Yeghen Yahya may refer to: * Yahya (name), a common Arabic male given name * Yahya (Zaragoza), 11th-century ruler of Zaragoza * John the Baptist in Islam (, literally Yahya/John, son of Zechariah), identified in English as John the Baptist, is consi ...

(1837–1913) * Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850–1916) * 20 December 1914 –

Sultan Hussein Kamel Sultan Hussein Kamel ( ar, السلطان حسين كامل; 21 November 1853 – 9 October 1917) was the Sultan of Egypt from 19 December 1914 to 9 October 1917, during the British protectorate over Egypt. He was the first person to hold the ...

(1853–1917) *

King Fuad I Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...

(1868–1936) *

'Aziz 'Ali al-Misri Aziz Ali al-Misri (; '' ar, عزيز علي المصري'') (1879 – 15 June 1965) was an Egyptian chief of staff and politician. He co-founded of al-Qahtaniyya, and al-‘Ahd (The Covenant), and participated in a prominent role during the Ara ...

(1879–1965) * King Farouk (1920–1965) * 1949 – King Abdullah I of Jordan (1882–1951) * 26 July 1952 – King Fuad II (born 1952) * 21 February 1955 – King Hussein of Jordan (1935–1999)

Republic of Egypt

* Abdel Hakim Amer (1919–1967): Active duty * November 1973 –

Ahmad Ismail Ali Ahmad Ismail Ali ( ar, أحمد إسماعيل علي) (14 October 1917 – 26 December 1974) was the Commander-in-Chief of Egypt's army and minister of war during the October War of 1973, and is best known for his planning of the attack across ...

(1917–1974): Active duty * Abdel Ghani Elgamasy (1921–2003): Active duty *

Fouad Mohamed Abou Zikry Admiral Fouad Mohamed Abou Zikry ( ar, فؤاد محمد ابوذكري; November 17, 1923 – January 26, 1983) was a career military man, rising in the ranks of the Egyptian military, and then the ministry of defense, ending his career where ...

(1923–1983): Honorary *

Mohammed Aly Fahmy Mohammed Aly Fahmy (11 October 1920 – 11 September 1999) was an Egyptian field marshal, known as the "Father of the Egyptian Air Defense". Early life, education and early career Fahmy was born in Cairo in 1920. He received a degree in engineer ...

(1920–1999): Honorary *

Ahmed Badawi Ahmed Badawi Sayyid Ahmed (Arabic: أحمد بدوي سيد أحمد) was an Egyptian Field Marshal (Mushir) and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Early life Ahmed Badawy was born in the coastal city of Alexandria in 1927. He s ...

(1927–1981): Posthumously * 1982 – Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala (1930–2008): Active duty * 1993 – Mohamed Hussein Tantawi (1935–2021): Active duty * 27 January 2014 – Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (born 1954): Active duty

Rank insignia

Current

Historic

KEgypt-Army-OF-10.svg, Royal Egyptian Army Ottoman-Army-OF-10.svg, Ottoman Army

References

Military ranks of Egypt Arab military ranks Military ranks of the Ottoman Empire Arabic words and phrases {{mil-rank-stub