Emirate

For the Arabic airline, see Emirates.

Etymologically an emirate or amirate (Arabic: إمارة Imarah, plural: إمارات Imarat) is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any Emir (prince, governor etc.).

Monarchies

Generally speaking, an emirate designates a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Islamic Monarch styled emir (see that article). As most emirates have either disappeared, been integrated in a larger modern state or changed their rulers' styles, e.g. to Malik (Arabic for King) or Sultan, such true emirate-states have become rare.

An example of this use persists in the United Arab Emirates, a federal nation that comprises seven federal emirates, each administered by a hereditary emir, these seven forming the electoral college for the federation's President and PM.

Provinces

Furthermore, in Arabic 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 Sheikh) of the royal family, as in Saudi Arabian governorates.

List of former and integrated traditional emirates

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