An emirate is a territory ruled by an

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the

Muslim world The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...

. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a

caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

. It can be considered equivalent to a

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

in non-Muslim contexts. Currently in the world, there are two emirates that are independent states (

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

and

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

), one state ruled by an unrecognised emirate (

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

), and a state that consists of a federation of seven emirates (the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

). A great number of previously independent emirates around the world are now part of larger states.

Etymology

Etymologically, emirate or amirate ( ', plural: ') is the quality, dignity, office, or territorial competence of any

(prince, commander, governor, etc.). In English, the term is pronounced or in British English and or in American English.

Types

Monarchies

The

is a federal state that comprises seven federal emirates, each administered by a hereditary emir, these seven forming the

electoral college An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...

for the federation's president and prime minister. As most emirates have either disappeared, been integrated in a larger modern state, or changed their rulers' styles, e.g. to

malik Malik (; ; ; variously Romanized ''Mallik'', ''Melik'', ''Malka'', ''Malek'', ''Maleek'', ''Malick'', ''Mallick'', ''Melekh'') is the Semitic term translating to "king", recorded in East Semitic and Arabic, and as mlk in Northwest Semitic d ...

(Arabic for "king") or

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

, such true emirate-states have become rare.

Provinces

Furthermore, in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

the term can be generalized to mean any province of a country that is administered by a member of the ruling class, especially of a member (usually styled

) of the royal family, as in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

n governorates.

List of present emirates

Current emirates with political autonomy are listed below: * (since 14 May 1961) * (since 3 September 1971) * (since 2 December 1971) ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * (since 15 August 2021; unrecognized)

List of former and integrated emirates

These are the emirates that have either ceased to exist, are not recognized and hold no real power, or were integrated into another country and preserved as "traditional states". They are arranged by location and in order of the date of the first leader styled "emir."

Africa

North Africa

* Emirate of Nekor, Rif region of modern

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

710–1019 * Emirate of Ifriqiya, Aghlabid

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...

within modern

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, and

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

800–909 * Emirate of Tunis, Hafsid

within modern

, and

1229–1574 * Zab Emirate, modern

circa 1400 (short-lived) * Emirate of Trarza, modern southwest

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

1640s–1910s * Emirate of Cyrenaica, modern eastern

1949–1951 (became the Kingdom of Libya) File:Hafsid1400.png, Ifriqiya under the Hafsids File:EthniesSénégal.jpg, Trarza (upper left) File:Map of Cyrenaica.png, Cyrenaica in Libya

Sub-Saharan Africa

=Ethiopia

= *

Emirate of Harar The Emirate of Harar was a Muslim kingdom founded in 1647 when the Harari people refused to accept Imām ʿUmardīn Ādam as their ruler and broke away from the Imamate of Aussa to form their own state under `Ali ibn Da`ud. The Harar, city of Ha ...

, eastern

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

1647–1887

=Ghana

= * Zabarma Emirate, northeastern

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

1860s–1897

=Niger

= * Emirate of Say, southwestern

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

19th century– (integrated)

=Nigeria

= * Fika Emirate, northeastern Nigeria 15th century– (integrated) * Gwandu Emirate, northwestern Nigeria 15th century to 2005 (integrated and then deposed) * Kebbi Emirate, northwestern Nigeria 1516– (integrated) * Borgu Emirate, westcentral Nigeria, formed from Bussa Emirate 1730–1954 and Kaiama Emirate 1912–54, unified 1954– (integrated) * Gumel Emirate, northcentral Nigeria 1749– (integrated) * Yauri Emirate, northwestern Nigeria 1799– (integrated) * Gombe Emirate, northeast Nigeria 1804– (integrated) *

Kano Emirate The Kano Emirate was a Muslim state in northern Nigeria formed in 1805 during the Fulani jihad when the Muslim Hausa people, Hausa-led Sultanate of Kano was deposed and replaced by a new emirate which became a vassal state of the Sokoto Caliph ...

, northcentral Nigeria 1805– (integrated) * Bauchi Emirate, northeast Nigeria 1805– (integrated) * Daura Emirate, northcentral Nigeria off and on 1805– (integrated) * Katsina Emirate, northcentral Nigeria 1806– (integrated) * Katagum Emirate, northcentral Nigeria 1807– (integrated) * Zaria Emirate, northcentral Nigeria 1808– (integrated) * Potiskum Emirate, northeastern Nigeria 1809– (integrated) *

Adamawa Emirate The Adamawa Emirate (Fula language, Fula: ''Laamorde Adamaawa'', ; ; ; ) is a Nigerian traditional states, traditional state located in Fombina, an area which now roughly corresponds to areas of Adamawa State and Taraba state in Nigeria, and pre ...

, eastern Nigeria and formerly into western

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

1809– (integrated where preserved) * Ilorin Emirate, southwestern Nigeria 1817– (integrated) * Muri Emirate, eastcentral Nigeria 1817– (integrated) * Kazaure Emirate, northcentral Nigeria 1819– (integrated) *

Lapai Emirate The Lapai Emirate, today in Nigeria, is a traditional state that lies near the Gurara River, a tributary to the Niger River, formerly originally inhabited where Gbari People, and presently came under the power of Nupe people, covering roughly the s ...

, central Nigeria 1825– (integrated) * Suleja Emirate, central Nigeria 1828– (integrated) * Agaie Emirate, westcentral Nigeria 1832– (integrated) * Bida Emirate, westcentral Nigeria 1856– (integrated) * Kontagora Emirate, northcentral Nigeria 1858– (integrated) * Borno Emirate, northeastern Nigeria 1900– (integrated) * Dikwa Emirate, northeast Nigeria 1901– (integrated) * Biu Emirate, northeast Nigeria 1920– (integrated)

Asia

Arabia

* Emirate of Mecca, Western Arabia 967–1916 * Uyunid Emirate, the modern

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

1076–1253 * Jabrids Emirate, Eastern and center Arabia 1417–1524 * Emirate of Al-Uyaynah central Arabia 1446–1760 * Bani Khalid Emirate, Eastern Arabia 1669–1796 * Emirate of Beihan, modern southern

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

1680–1967 * Emirate of Diriyah, mainly in modern

and the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

1727–1818 * Emirate of Nejd, center and eastern

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

1818–91 * Emirate of Dhala, modern southern

early 19th century to 1967 * Emirate of Jabal Shammar, northcentral Arabia 1836–1921 * Emirate of Nejd and Hasa, central Arabia 1902–21 * Idrisid Emirate of Asir, Jizan in modern southwestern

1906–34 * Emirate of Bahrain, 1971–2002 (before it was under a hakim (ruler); after under a malik (king)) * Emirates of Saudi Arabia, the thirteen provinces of

File:FederationOfSouthArabiaMap.jpg, Beihan and Dhala in South Arabia File:First Saudi State Big.png, Diriyah File:Second Saudi State Big.png, Nejd File:Alrasheed hail english.png, Jabal Shammar File:Sa mapa6.png, Asir at its height File:LocationBahrain.svg, Bahrain File:Saudi Arabia - province locator template.png, Saudi Arabian emirate divisions

Central Asia

* Emirate of Bukhara, modern

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

1785–1920 * Khotan Emirate, 1933 northwest China, merged into First East Turkestan Republic File:Bukhara1850.png, Bukhara File:First ETR in China.svg, Khotan in modern China

South Asia

Emirate of Afghanistan The Emirate of Afghanistan, known as the Emirate of Kabul until 1855, was an emirate in Central Asia and South Asia that encompassed present-day Afghanistan and parts of present-day Pakistan (before 1893). The emirate emerged from the Durrani ...

1823–1929 *

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001) The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (), also referred to as the First Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, was a totalitarian Islamic state led by the Taliban that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. At its peak, the Taliban government ...

, first period of

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

rule in

( overthrown) * Islamic Emirate of Kunar, southern Afghanistan 1991–1991 * Emirate of Multan * Habbarid Emirate File:LocationAfghanistan.svg, Emirate of Afghanistan

Near East

*Emirate of

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

(see list of emirs for more), modern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

905–1096, 1127–1222, 1254–1383, 1758–1918 * Emirate of Melitene, modern central Turkey mid-ninth century to 934 * Emirate of Amida, modern Eastern Turkey 983–1085 * Karaman Emirate, south-central

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

1250–1487 * Emirate of Aydin, state composed of Oghuz Turks in modern Turkey from the early 14th century to 1390 * Emirate of Dulkadir, modern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

1337–1522 *

Emirate of Erzincan The Emirate of Erzincan was a state centered around the city of Erzincan that controlled parts of eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Its first known ruler, Ahi Ayna (), rose to power as a vassal of the Eretnid ...

, 14–15th centuries * Emirate of Ramazan, modern

1352–1608 *

Emirate of Mount Lebanon The Emirate of Mount Lebanon () was a part of Mount Lebanon that enjoyed variable degrees of partial autonomy under the stable suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire between the mid-16th and the early-19th century. The town of Baakleen was the seat o ...

, modern

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

1516–1842 * Timurid Emirates,

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

's empire and the minor emirates left behind after the fall of the

Timurid dynasty The Timurid dynasty, self-designated as Gurkani (), was the ruling dynasty of the Timurid Empire (1370–1507). It was a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim dynasty or Barlās clan of Turco-Mongol originB.F. Manz, ''"Tīmūr Lang"'', in Encyclopaedia of I ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, 1526-c.1550 *

Soran Emirate Soran Emirate () was a medieval Kurdish emirate established before the conquest of Kurdistan by Ottoman Empire in 1514 and later revived by Emir Kor centered in Rawandiz from 1816 to 1836. Kor was ousted in an offensive by the Ottomans. Early ye ...

, modern northern Iraq 1816–35 * Az Zubayr, town in Basra Governorate, Iraq during 16th century * Emirate of Transjordan, modern

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

1921–46 * Islamic Emirate of Byara, modern

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

, 2001–2003 File:Anatolia1300.png, Ottoman emirate in 1300, labeled 'Osman' File:Timurid Dynasty 821 - 873 (AH).png, Timurid Emirate under the leadership of

File:PalestineAndTransjordan.png, Transjordan

Europe

Caucasus

* The Emirate of Armenia,

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

637–884 * Emirate of Darband,

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

869–1075 * Emirate of Tbilisi, modern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

736–1080, nominally to 1122 * North Caucasian Emirate,

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

and

in the

1919–1920 *

Caucasus Emirate The Caucasus Emirate (, IK; ), also known as the Caucasian Emirate, Emirate of Caucasus, or Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, was a jihadist organisation active in rebel-held parts of Syria and previously in the North Caucasus region of Russia. It ...

2007–2017 (unrecognized) File:Shaddadid.gif, Darband, Azerbaijan File:81ArabAbbasidPeriod750-885.gif, Armenia

Iberia

Emirate of Córdoba An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

, modern Spain and Portugal 756–929 (title changed to

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

in 929) * Emirate of Badajoz, modern Portugal and western Spain 1009–1151 * Emirate of Almería, region of

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...

and Cartagena in modern Spain off and on 1013–1091 * Emirate of Jerez, towns of Jerez de la Frontera and Arcos de la Frontera in modern southern Spain 1145–1147 *

Emirate of Granada The Emirate of Granada, also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, was an Emirate, Islamic polity in the southern Iberian Peninsula during the Late Middle Ages, ruled by the Nasrid dynasty. It was the last independent Muslim state in Western ...

, modern southern Spain 1228–1492 File:Coras del Emirato de Córdoba.png, Córdoba File:Location map Taifa of Badajoz.svg, Badajoz File:Reino de Granada.svg, Granada

Mediterranean region

Emirate of Crete The Emirate of Crete ( or , ; ) was an Arab Islamic state that existed on the Mediterranean island of Crete from the late 820s to Siege of Chandax, the reconquest of the island by the Byzantine Empire in 961. Although the emirate recognized the ...

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, modern Greece, 824 or 827/828 to 961 * Emirate of Bari, city of

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

in southern Italy 847–871 * Emirate of Malta, 870–1091 *

Emirate of Sicily The island of SicilyIn Arabic, the island was known as (). was under Islam, Islamic rule from the late ninth to the late eleventh centuries. It became a prosperous and influential commercial power in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, with ...

965–1072 * Emirate of Qatansáar,city of Catanzaro in southern Italy 903-1050 File:Periferia Kritis.png, Crete within modern Greece File:Italy 1000 AD.svg, Sicily (at bottom)

References

{{Authority control Feudalism Monarchy