An emir (/əˈmɪər, eɪˈmɪər, ˈeɪmɪər/; Arabic: أمير
ʾamīr [ʔaˈmiːr]), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer,
is an aristocratic or noble and military title of high office used in
a variety of places in the Arab countries and Afghanistan. It means
"commander", "general", or "prince". The feminine form is emira
(أميرة ʾamīrah). When translated as "prince", the word
"emirate" is analogous to a sovereign principality.[1]
Contents
1 Origins
2 Princely, ministerial and noble titles
3 Military ranks and titles
4 Other uses
5 In popular culture
6 See also
7 Notes
Origins[edit]
Emir

Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi
HRH Crown
Prince

Prince Farouk, amir of the
Kingdom of Egypt
_(North_Africa_centered).svg/600px-Sudan_on_the_globe_(de-facto___claimed_hatched)_(North_Africa_centered).svg.png)
Kingdom of Egypt and the Sudan,
on ascension to the throne 1936 as HM King Farouk I
Amir, meaning "lord" or "commander-in-chief", is derived from the
Arabic

Arabic root a-m-r, "command". Originally simply meaning
"commander-in-chief" or "leader", usually in reference to a group of
people, it came to be used as a title for governors or rulers, usually
in smaller states, and in modern
Arabic

Arabic is analogous to the English
word "prince". The word entered English in 1593, from the French
émir.[2] It was one of the titles or names of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad.[citation needed]
Princely, ministerial and noble titles[edit]
Mohammed Alim Khan, emir of Bukhara, taken in 1911 by Sergey
Prokudin-Gorsky
The monarchs of Qatar,
Kuwait

Kuwait and of the constituent emirates of the
United Arab Emirates are currently titled emir.[3][4][5]
All members of the
House of Saud

House of Saud have the title of emir
(prince).[6][7][8]
The caliphs first used the title
Amir al-Muminin or "Commander of the
Faithful", stressing their leadership over the Islamic empire,
especially over the militia. The title has been assumed by various
other
Muslim

Muslim rulers, including sultans and emirs. For
Shia

Shia Muslims,
they still give this title to the
Caliph

Caliph
Ali

Ali as Amir al-Muminin.
The
Abbasid

Abbasid (in theory still universal)
Caliph

Caliph
Ar-Radi

Ar-Radi created the
post of
Amir al-Umara

Amir al-Umara ("Amir of the Amirs") for Ibn Raik; the title
was used in various Islamic monarchies; see below for military use
Formerly in Lebanon, the ruling emir formally used the style al-Amir
al-Hakim, specifying it was still the ruler's title. Note that the
title was held by
Druze

Druze and
Christians

Christians as well.[citation needed]
The word emir is also used less formally for leaders in certain
contexts. For example, the leader of a group of pilgrims to
Mecca

Mecca is
called an emir hadji, a title sometimes used by ruling princes (as a
mark of
Muslim

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 title mirza.
The traditional rulers of the predominantly
Muslim

Muslim northern regions of
Nigeria

Nigeria are known as emirs, while the titular sovereign of their now
defunct empire is formally styled as the
Sultan

Sultan of Sokoto,
Amir-al-Muminin (or Sarkin Musulmi in the Hausa language).[citation
needed]
The temporal leader of the
Yazidi

Yazidi people is known as an emir or
prince.[citation needed]
Amīr al-Baḥr (أمير البحر, "commander of the sea") is
considered to be the etymological origin of the English admiral, the
French amiral and similar terms in other European languages.
Military ranks and titles[edit]
See also: Amir (Iranian Army)
From the start, emir has been a military title.
In certain decimally-organized
Muslim

Muslim armies, Amir was an officer
rank. For example, in
Mughal India

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
.svg/250px-Flag_of_Persia_(1910-1925).svg.png)
Qajar Persia:
Amir-i-Nuyan
Amir Panj, "Commander of 5,000"
Amir-i-Tuman, "Commander of 10,000"
http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/amir-e-tuman-commander-of-10000-men-a-military-rank-originally-used-by-the-il-khanids-in-the-7th-13th-cent
The following posts referred to "amir" under medieval
Muslim

Muslim states
include:
Amir al-umara, "Amir of Amirs" (cfr. supra) or 'Commander of
Commanders'
Amir al-hajj, "Commander of the
Hajj

Hajj [caravan]"
Amir al-ʿarab, "Commander of the Arabs [Bedouin tribes]"
In the former Kingdom of Afghanistan, Amir-i-Kabir was a title meaning
"great prince" or "great commander".
Muhammad

Muhammad Amin Bughra, Nur Ahmad Jan Bughra, and Abdullah Bughra
declared themselves emirs of the First East Turkestan Republic.
Other uses[edit]
Amir is a masculine name in the
Persian language

Persian language and a prefix name for
many masculine names such as Amir Ali, Amir Goul.
Amir-i-Iel designates the head of an Il (tribe) in imperial Persia.
The masculine Amir and feminine Amira are Arabic-language names common
among both Arabs regardless of religion and Muslims regardless of
ethnicity, much as Latin Rex and Regina ("king" and "queen,"
respectively) are common in the Western world. In Bosnia and
Herzegovina, the female name Emira, often interpreted as "princess",
is a derivative of the male name Emir.
In popular culture[edit]
This article appears to contain trivial, minor, or unrelated
references to popular culture. Please reorganize this content to
explain the subject's impact on popular culture rather than simply
listing appearances; add references to reliable sources if possible.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2018)
Abdul Abulbul Amir, both character and song
Wat Tambor in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones took the
title of emir. In the
Star Wars

Star Wars universe, the title may relate to
Tambor's military command.
Emir

Emir Karim, a character in Wild At Heart, a Latin American drama and
sports
Emir

Emir
Shah

Shah in RuneScape
See also[edit]
Beg
Bey
Caliph
Imam
Mir
Mirza
Padishah
Pasha
Prince
Rana
Sayyid
Shah
Sheikh
Sultan
Vizier
Specific emirates of note
List of emirs of Harar
List of emirs of Kuwait
List of emirs of Qatar
List of emirs of Mosul
Emirate
.svg/200px-Heraldic_Royal_Crown_(Common).svg.png)
Emirate of Afghanistan
Notes[edit]
^ The West: A Narrative History, Volume Two (2 ed.). CTI Reviews.
2016. p. 661. ISBN 9781478439394. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
Emir

Emir ('commander' or 'general', also 'prince'; also transliterated as
amir, aamir or ameer) is a high title of nobility or office, used
throughout the
Muslim

Muslim world. Emirs are usually considered high-ranking
sheikhs, but in monarchical states the term is also used for princes,
with 'Emirate' being analogous to principality in this sense.
^ Harper, Douglas. "amir (n.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved
29 June 2017.
^
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/kuwait-emir-qatar-gcc-170607195623973.html
^
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/29-4-tile/711173-gulf-ministers-hold-key-talks-before-gcc-summit.html
^
https://books.google.pl/books?id=axKqDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA258&lpg=PA258&dq=uae+emirates+emirs&source=bl&ots=35rzdz1cu-&sig=0KuwlizRq4_zSZ9OnlgK3L6AE3Y&hl=pl&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjuiJqVi9rYAhVMjSwKHYWUAFwQ6AEIiwEwDQ#v=onepage&q=uae%20emirates%20emirs&f=false
^ Amos, Deborah (1991). "
Sheikh

Sheikh to Chic". Mother Jones. p. 28.
Retrieved 12 July 2016.
^
https://web.archive.org/web/20160807041830/https://americanbedu.com/2010/03/23/saudi-arabia-hrh-or-hh/
^ "Family Tree". www.datarabia.com. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
Authority control