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{{Short description|Title of high office in the Muslim world}}
{{Other uses}}
{{redirect|Amir|the name|Amir (name)|other uses}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2012}}
[[File:Shuja Shah Durrani and Men in his decorated palace Wellcome V0050531.jpg|thumb|The court of the [[Durrani Empire|Durrani Emirate]] of [[Afghanistan]] ([[James Rattray]], 1839)]]
'''Emir''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|m|ɪər|,_|eɪ|ˈ|m|ɪər|,_|ˈ|eɪ|m|ɪər}}; {{langx|ar|أمير}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|DIN|ʾamīr}}'' {{IPA|ar|ʔæˈmiːr|}} ({{pronunciation|Q166382-ar.oga|listen|help=no}}), 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 possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has a history of use in [[West Asia]], [[East Africa]], [[West Africa]], [[Central Asia]], and [[South Asia]]. In the modern era, when used as a formal monarchical title, it is roughly synonymous with "[[prince]]", applicable both to a son of a hereditary monarch, and to a reigning monarch of a sovereign [[principality]], namely an [[emirate]]. The [[female|feminine]] form is '''emira''' ({{lang|ar|أميرة}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|DIN|ʾamīrah}}''), with the same meaning as "[[princess]]".

Prior to its use as a monarchical title, the term "emir" was historically used to denote a "commander", "general", or "leader" (for example, [[Amir al-Mu'min]]). In contemporary usage, "emir" is also sometimes used as either an honorary or formal title for the head of an Islamic, or Arab (regardless of religion) organisation or movement.

[[Qatar]] and [[Kuwait]] are the only independent countries which retain the title "emir" for their monarchs. In recent years, the title has been gradually replaced by "king" by contemporary hereditary rulers who wish to emphasize their secular authority under the rule of law. A notable example is [[Bahrain]], whose monarch changed his title from emir to king in 2002,<ref>{{cite web|url = https://english.alaraby.co.uk/opinion/ruling-bahrain-part-i-emir-declares-himself-king|title = Ruling Bahrain (Part I): The emir declares himself king| work=The New Arab |date = 14 March 2019|access-date = 5 September 2022|archive-date = 5 September 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220905141349/https://english.alaraby.co.uk/opinion/ruling-bahrain-part-i-emir-declares-himself-king|url-status = live}}</ref> whereas the titular [[United Arab Emirates]] use the title [[Sheikh]] instead of Emir for their subnational rulers.

== Origins ==
{{anchor|amir}}''Amir'', meaning "lord" or "[[commander-in-chief]]", is derived from the [[Arabic]] [[triconsonantal|root]] ''{{Transliteration|ar|DIN|a-m-r}}'', meaning "command". Originally simply meaning "commander", it came to be used as a title of leaders, governors, or rulers of smaller states. In modern Arabic the word is analogous to the title "Prince". The word entered [[English language|English]] in 1593, from the [[French language|French]] ''{{lang|fr|émir}}''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=amir&searchmode=none|website=Online Etymology Dictionary|first=Douglas|last=Harper|access-date=29 June 2017|title=amir (n.)|archive-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702133547/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=amir&searchmode=none|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Princely, ministerial and noble titles ==
[[File:Emir of Kano on his throne 092016.jpg|thumb|[[Kano Emirate Council|Emir of Kano]], [[Sanusi Lamido Sanusi]]]]
[[File:Prokudin-Gorskii-19-v2.png|thumb|[[Mohammed Alim Khan]], Emir of [[Emirate of Bukhara|Bukhara]], taken in 1911 by [[Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky]]]]
* The monarchs of [[Qatar]] and [[Kuwait]] are currently titled emir.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/kuwait-emir-qatar-gcc-170607195623973.html|title=Emir of Kuwait wraps up Gulf mediation visits – Qatar News – Al Jazeera|website=aljazeera.com|access-date=2018-12-31|archive-date=2017-06-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607210925/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/kuwait-emir-qatar-gcc-170607195623973.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/29-4-tile/711173-gulf-ministers-hold-key-talks-before-gcc-summit.html |title=Gulf Ministers Hold Key Talks Before GCC Summit |date=December 5, 2017 |website=MalaysianDigest.com |access-date=2018-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115185351/http://www.malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/29-4-tile/711173-gulf-ministers-hold-key-talks-before-gcc-summit.html |archive-date=2018-01-15 |url-status=usurped }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Al Qasimi|first=Muhammad|title=Sheikh Dr Sultan|url=https://sheikhdrsultan.ae/Portal/en/home.aspx|access-date=2020-09-30|archive-date=2014-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410155806/https://sheikhdrsultan.ae/Portal/en/home.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
* All members of the [[House of Saud]] have the title of ''emir'' (prince).<ref name="Sheikh to Chic">{{cite news|last1=Amos|first1=Deborah|title=Sheikh to Chic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-cDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28|access-date=12 July 2016|publisher=Mother Jones|date=1991|page=28|language=en|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803105920/https://books.google.com/books?id=H-cDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web|url=https://americanbedu.com/2010/03/23/saudi-arabia-hrh-or-hh/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807041830/https://americanbedu.com/2010/03/23/saudi-arabia-hrh-or-hh/|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 August 2016|title=Saudi Arabia: HRH or HH? - American Bedu|date=7 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="Family Tree datarabia">{{cite web|title=Family Tree|url=http://www.datarabia.com/royals/familytree.do|website=datarabia.com|access-date=7 December 2016|language=en|archive-date=8 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108031559/http://www.datarabia.com/royals/familytree.do|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[caliph]]s 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]] rulers, including [[sultan]]s and emirs. For [[Shia]] Muslims, they still give this title to the Caliph [[Ali]] as ''Amir al-Muminin''.
* The [[Abbasid]] (in theory still universal) Caliph [[Al-Radi]] created the post of ''[[Amir al-Umara]]'' ("Amir of the Amirs") for [[Ibn Raik]]; the title was used in various Islamic monarchies; see below for military use. In Iraq, the direct descendants of previous Emirs from the largest tribes who ruled the kingdoms before modern statehood, use the title of [[Sheikh]] or Prince as the progeny of royalty.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Howell|first=Georgina|title=Queen of The Desert: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell|date=15 January 2015|publisher=Pan Books |isbn=9781447286264}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Batatu |first=Hanna |title=The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq: A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of its Communists, Ba'thists and Free Officers |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1978}}</ref>
* Formerly in [[Lebanon]], the ruling emir formally used the style ''al-Amir al-[[Hakim (title)|Hakim]]'', specifying it was still the ruler's title. The title was held by [[Druze]] and [[Christians]] as well.{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}
* 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 ''[[amir al-hajj]]'', a title sometimes used by ruling princes (as a mark of Muslim piety) which is sometimes awarded in their name. Where an adjectival form is necessary, "emiral" suffices.{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}
* ''Amirzade'', the son (hence the Persian patronymic suffix ''-zade'') of a prince, hence the Persian princely title ''[[Mirza (noble)|mirza]]''.
* The [[Nigerian traditional rulers|traditional rulers]] of the predominantly Muslim northern regions of [[Nigeria]] are known as emirs, while the titular sovereign of their now defunct empire is formally styled as the [[Sultan of Sokoto]], Amir-al-Muminin (or ''Sarkin Musulmi'' in the [[Hausa language]]).{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}
* The temporal leader of the [[Yazidi]] people is known as an emir or prince.{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}
* [[Afghanistan]] under the government of the [[Taliban]] is officially an emirate, with the [[Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan|leader]] of the Taliban bearing the title {{Transliteration|ar|[[Amir al-Mu'minin]]}}.
* The Emir of [[al-Qaeda]], a global pan-Islamist militant organization
* ''Amīr al-Baḥr'' ({{lang|ar|أمير البحر}}, "commander of the sea"), a position in the [[Fatimid navy]], is frequently [[folk etymology|mistaken]] as the [[etymological]] origin of the English ''[[admiral]]'', the French ''{{lang|fr|[[amiral]]}}'', and similar terms in other European languages.<ref name=oed/> The titles actually derive solely from [[Medieval Latin]] forms of emir itself,<ref name=oed>{{citation |last= |first= |editor-last= |editor-first= |contribution=admiral, ''n.'' |contribution-url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/admiral_n |title=Oxford English Dictionary |date=2024 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford }}.</ref> originally in reference to the "[[amir al-umara|amirs al-umara]]" of [[Norman Sicily]].
* The Constitution of [[Morocco]] uses the term [[Amir al-Mu'minin]] as the principal title of the King of Morocco, as a means to showcase the hegemonic role and Islamic legitimacy of the Monarch.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pennell |first=Richard |date=2016-08-07 |title=What is the significance of the title 'Amīr al-mu'minīn?' |journal=The Journal of North African Studies |language=en |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=623–644 |doi=10.1080/13629387.2016.1157482 |s2cid=148543546 |issn=1362-9387}}</ref>

== Military ranks and titles ==
{{see also|Amir (Iranian Army)}}
From the start, ''emir'' has been a military title. In the 9th century the term was used to denote a ruler of a state i.e. [[Italy]]'s [[Emirate of Sicily]].

In certain decimally-organized Muslim armies, Amir was an officer rank. For example, in [[Mughal India]], the 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''
* ''Amir Panj'', "Commander of 5,000"
* ''Amir-i-Tuman'', "Commander of 10,000"

The following posts referred to "amir" under medieval Muslim states include:
* ''[[Amir al-umara]]'', "Amir of Amirs" (cfr. supra) or 'Commander of Commanders'
* ''[[Amir al-hajj]]'', "Commander of the [[Hajj]] [caravan]"
* ''[[Amir al-ʿarab]]'', "Commander of the Arabs [Bedouin tribes]"

In the former [[History of Afghanistan|Kingdom of Afghanistan]], ''Amir-i-Kabir'' was a title meaning "great prince" or "great commander".

[[Muhammad Amin Bughra]], [[Nur Ahmad Jan Bughra]], and [[Abdullah Bughra]] declared themselves emirs of the [[First East Turkestan Republic]].

== Other uses ==
* Amir is a masculine name in the [[Persian language]] and a prefix name for many masculine names such as Amir Ali, Amir Abbas.
* Amir-i-Iel designates the head of an [[Il (tribe)|Il]] (tribe) in imperial Persia.
* The masculine ''Amir'' and feminine ''Amira'' are [[Arabic language|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.
* The masculine ''Amir'' and feminine ''Amira'' are [[Hebrew language|Hebrew-language]] names that are relatively common in Israel. In Hebrew the word can also mean "bundle of grain" or "treetop" depending on the spelling.
* [[Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami]]

== See also ==
Related or similar titles:
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Bey]]
* [[Dux]]
* [[Imam]]
* [[Mir (title)|Mir]]
* [[Mirza (noble)|Mirza]]
* [[Padishah]]
* [[Pasha]]
* [[Rana (title)|Rana]]
* [[Sayyid]]
* [[Shah]]
* [[Vizier]]
{{div col end}}

Present-day emirs:
* [[List of emirs of Kuwait]]
* [[List of emirs of Qatar]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Emirs| ]]
[[Category:Arabic words and phrases]]
[[Category:Court titles]]
[[Category:Gubernatorial titles]]
[[Category:Heads of state]]
[[Category:Islamic honorifics]]
[[Category:Military ranks]]
[[Category:Noble titles]]
[[Category:Ottoman titles]]
[[Category:Religious leadership roles]]
[[Category:Royal titles]]
[[Category:Titles in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Titles in Iran]]
[[Category:Titles in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Titles of national or ethnic leadership]]

Emir - Revision history

Accuntpayable1 at 11:37, 10 March 2026