Entrance to the emir's palace in Bukhara. From a photograph taken ca. 1912.

Emir (also sometimes rendered as Amir or Ameer, Arabic: أمير commander) is a high title of nobility or office, historically used in Islamic nations of the Middle East, North Africa, the Turkic world etc. Image File history File links Early color photograph from Russia, created by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii as part of his work to document the Russian Empire from 1909 to 1915. ... Image File history File links Early color photograph from Russia, created by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii as part of his work to document the Russian Empire from 1909 to 1915. ... Bukhara (Buxoro or Бухоро in Uzbek (the Cyrillic alphabet was officially phased out for Uzbek after independence); بُخارا /Bukhârâ/ in Persian, Buhe/Puhe Tang Chinese, Бухара in Russian; also Boxara in Tatar) is one of... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... The Arabic language (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Islām is described as a dÄ«n, meaning way of life and/or guidance. Six articles of belief There are six basic beliefs shared by all Muslims: 1. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... // Etymology World map showing Africa (geographically) The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra — land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) — for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day...

Middle eastern origins

Originally it was a title of honor given to descendants of Muhammad via his daughter Fatima Zahra. Centuries after the time of Muhammad it became used in a wider range of contexts, such as the title used by chieftains of Bedouins of Arabia and by nobles and officials of the Ottoman Empire. Muhammad is a common Muslim male name. ... Fatima Zahra also called Fatemeh Al Zahraa or Az-Zahra (Arabic: ) was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his first wife Khadija. ... Bedouin resting at Mount Sinai Bedouin, derived from the Arabic badawi بدوي, a generic name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Sahara via the Western Desert, Sinai, and Negev to the eastern coast of the Arabian desert. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula is a mainly desert peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia and an important part of the greater Middle East. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335 - 1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (Constantinople) (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40...

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. Where an adjectival form is necessary, "emiral" suffices. This article is about the holy city in Saudi Arabia. ...

The Caliphs used the title emir ul-mu'mineen, "Commander of the Faithful". The Western naval rank admiral comes from the Arabic expression amir al-bahr, "sea commander." Anglicized/Latinized version of the Arabic word خليفة or Khalifah, is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam. ... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (Lord of the bay). ...

Emir is also the term used by the Kuwaiti al-Sabah dynasty to refer to their ruling monarch since their independence on June 19, 1961. Qatar likewise uses this title since 1971, and Bahrain did so from 1971 to 2002. The Al Sabah have been the ruling family of Kuwait since about 1752. ... A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state, whose titles and ascent are often inherited, not earned, and who represents a larger monarchical system which has established rules and customs regarding succession, duties, and powers. ... June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... 2002 (MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In Arabic and Persian : The Arabic language (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Persian (فارسی = Fârsi . ...

• a country ruled by an independent emir is an emirate, as in the United Arab Emirates (but they're part of an elective, federal monarchy).
• Another meaning of the word "emir" is prince, specifically, the male descendant of a sovereign, as in the sultanate of the Maldives (besides the native title Manippulu). In some states it could mean "crown prince" (more typically Wali al-Ahd). For example, before the crowning as King Abdullah of Jordan, the son of King Hussein was still referred to as "Emir Abdullah" (in this case a obsolete title of the dynasty, which adopted the higher title of Malik = king).

Generally speaking, an emirate (Arabic imarah, plural imarat) is a territory that is administered by an emir, although in Arabic the term can be generalized to mean any province of a country that is administered by a member of the ruling class. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state, whose titles and ascent are often inherited, not earned, and who represents a larger monarchical system which has established rules and customs regarding succession, duties, and powers. ... A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. ... King Abdullah can refer to: Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, current king of Saudi Arabia Abdullah II, current king of Jordan Abdullah I, Emir of Transjordan (1921–1946) and King of Transjordan (1946–1949) This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Hussein bin Talal (Arabic: حسين بن طلال) (November 14, 1935 - February 7, 1999) was the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from 1952 to 1999. ...

In other muslim cultures

• In various muslim states, Amir was also a nobiliary title, as under the (Turkic?) form ämir in the Tartar Khanate of Kazan

• In India it is also means rich.

• In certain decimally organised Muslim armies, e.g. in Mughal India, Amir was an officer rank, commanding 1000 horsemen (divided in ten units, each under a Sipah salar), ten of them under each Malik.

• 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 since April 1914, with five incumbents to date

Map of Kazan Khanate, early 1500s The Kazan Khanate (Tatar: Qazan xanlığı; Russian: Казанское ханство) (1438-1552) was a Tatar state on the territory of former Volga Bulgaria with its capital in Kazan. ... Look up rich on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Malik (الملك) is a word that means king in Arabic, also adopted in various other oriental languages, also in derived meanings. ... Ahmadi Muslims (Urdu: Ahmadiyya), are followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. ... Badshahi Masjid at night South section of the Hazuri Bagh, looking south towards the Roshnai Gate The Minar-e-Pakistan, south-side view Lahore (لاەور) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ...

Other uses

Emir is also a common Muslim male name in Bosnia (see also Azra), taken from Arabic, just as the Latin Rex ('king') in the West. Bosnia and Herzegovina (officially Bosna i Hercegovina, shortened to BiH, also in English variously written Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bosnia-Hercegovina) is a mountainous country in the western Balkans. ... Azra album cover (1980) Azra was a rock band from Zagreb, Croatia that was popular across former Yugoslavia in the 1980s. ... The Arabic language (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ...

See also

• Caliph
• Mahdi
• Mir
• Mirza
• Sheikh
• Sultan
• Umrao

Caliph is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam. ... The Mahdi (Arabic: مهدي, also transliterated as: Mehdi or Mihdi; translated as: guided one), in Islamic eschatology, is a prophecy about the redeemer of Islam, who will change the world into a perfect society before Yaum al-Qiyamah, literally meaning the Day of Resurrection (the end times). ... Mir is a Persian word, synonymous to emir, and it means leader of a group or tribe. ... Mirza may refer to: a genus of giant mouse lemur species a title used by Mongols a title (last name) used by people of India a popular male name used widely in Bosnia & Herzegovina an Arabic name which means prince in Persian an Islamic family name. ... Shaikh (شيخ, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh or Sheikh) is a word in the Arabic language meaning an elder or a revered old man. ... A sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings. ...

Sources and References

• WorldStatesmen Here Religious Organisations - see also many present Muslim countries

• List of Emirs of Harar
• List of emirs of Kuwait
• List of emirs of Qatar