Emir

Sher Ali Khan, Emir of Afghanistan, posing for a portrait in 1869

This article is about Amir (disambiguation). For other uses, see Emir (disambiguation).

Emir (Arabic: أمير; female: أميرة; emira; (Persian and Urdu: امیر) "commander" or "general", also "prince"; also transliterated as amir, aamir or ameer) is a high title of nobility or office. It is used throughout the Arab world and historically in some Turkic states and Afghanistan. Emirs are usually considered high-ranking sheiks, but in monarchical states the term is also used for princes; then "emirate" means more or less the same as principality in this context. Emir is used also as a name in Turkey like Emir Niego and Emir Sevinc. Emir is the most common spelling in English and many other languages (for example, United Arab Emirates). The spelling amir, that is closer to the original Arabic, is more common for its compounds (e.g., admiral) and in individual names.

Related pages

Specific emirates of note

• List of emirs of Harar
• List of emirs of Kuwait
• List of emirs of Qatar
• Emirs d'Armènia

Islamic titles

• Amir al-Muminin
• Bey
• Caliph
• Mahdi
• Mir, itself used in various compounds
• Mirza, literally "son of an emir"
• Sheikh
• Sayyid
• Sultan
• Umrao

Emirs in fiction

• Abdul Abulbul Amir, character and song
• Abul Qasim Qannadi, character in Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Rose of the Prophet trilogy

Sources and references

• WorldStatesmen Religious Organisations – see also many present Muslim countries