Persian title
Mir (
Persian: مير,
Kurdish: میر, Mîr) (which is derived from the
Arabic title
Emir 'elite, general, prince') is a
Persian title with variable connotations.
Etymology
The term Mir has its roots in the Arabic equivalent
Emir, which means Prince or General. Emir is derived from the Arabic root a-m-r, "command".
[1]
Tribal Princes of the Persian Sunni Sayyids
It is the
Persian version of the title of tribal leaders of
Sayyids, that are addressed in the arabic world as
Naqib. Examples for Persian Miran (Plural of Mir) are
Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani and the family of the Mir
Sayyid Hasan bin Azimullah and
Hazrat Ishaan, that are today known as
Dakik Family.
[2]
[3]
Tribal Princes of the Kurdish Yazidis
In the
Yazidi culture, the Mîr is the religious and also the administrative authority from the Qatani branch of the Sheikh caste. The former Mir was
Tahseen Said Beg, whose son
Hazim bin Tahsin Said and nephew Naif ben Dawood contest leadership.
[4]
British Empire
The title Mir is also used by various Vassals of the British Empire, who are neither
Sayyids nor
Yezidi.
Examples
In Muslim
princely states of British India, few rulers were formally styled Mir, notably in present
Pakistan, where only two of the six have actually reached the level of
salute state, becoming entitled to a gun salute and the attached form of address His Highness:
The following all remained non-salute states:
- The Mir of
Mirpur State, under a branch of the above Talpur clan, in Sind(h)
- The Mir of
Kharan; from 1921, restyled Sardar Bahador Nawab, till 1940 a vassal of the Khan and Wali of
Khalat (the senior ruler in British/
Pakistani Baluchistan)
- Petty
Pashtun Northwestern Frontier states
Mir was also used as an honor rank. (See:
Mirza)
Compound Titles
In
the subcontinent, since the Mughal period, various compounds were used in
Persian including:[
citation needed]
- combined Indian princely styles, notably Sahibzada Mir
- Mīr-tuzak or tǒzak: Marshal, in the sense of an officer who maintains order in a march or procession; master of the ceremonies
- Mīr-dah or Mīr-daha: Commander or superintendent of ten: decurion; a
Tithingman
- Mīr-
sāmān: Head steward
- Mīr-
shikār: Master of the hunt, chief huntsman; also
Grand Falconer; hence bird-catcher, and (metaphorically) a pimp
- Mīr-ě-ātash or Mīr-ātish: Chief of the fireworks; also Commandant of artillery, Master of the ordnance
- Mīr-ě-majlis, shortened Mīr-majlis: Master of the ceremonies or president, chairman of a
majlis (assembly)
- Mīr-
mahalla: Headman of a mahal(la), i.e. quarter (of a town)
- Mīr-ě-manzil, shortened Mīr-manzil: Overseer of the halting-places; Quartermaster-general
- Mīr-
munshī: Chief secretary; Head (native) clerk of a (colonial) office.
- 'Mir-
Hashimi: leader in logar province of Afghanistan ( Mir Samim Hashimi)
In the
Hindu kingdom of
Nepal:
- Mir Munshi, from the Arabic
Amir-i-Munshi, 'commander of the secretaries', is the Chief Secretary of the Foreign Office.
- Mir Umrao, from the Arabic
Amir ul-Umara, 'commander of commanders': a senior military officer ranking below a
Sardar and charged with the command of a fort and surrounding territories, the training and equipment of soldiers and the supply of material.
In the
Baloch kingdom of
Balochistan:
In the
Ottoman Empire, Mir-i Miran was used as the Persian equivalent to the Turkish title
Beylerbey ("Bey of Beys"), alongside the Arabic equivalent
Amir al-Umara ("Emir of Emirs").
[5]
See also
References
-
^
The Encyclopaedic DictionaryA New, Original and Exhaustive Work of Reference to All English Words, Their Origin, Development, Orthography, Pronunciation, Meaning and Legitimate Or Customary Use
-
^ Sir Walter Roper Lawrence (2005). The Valley of Kashmir. Asian Educational Services. p. 292. ISBN 978-81-206-1630-1.
-
^ Tariq Jameel Gillani in Zikr Jameeliyya: On the greatness of Sayyid Mir Jan Shah Saheb
-
^ Kreyenbroek, Philip G. (1995). Yezidism-Its Background, Observances and Textual Tradition.
Lewiston, New York:
Edwin Mellen Press. p. 126.
ISBN
0773490043.
-
^ Zetterstéen (1986), p. 446
External links