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*'''[[Imam]]''': Denotes the Head of the State.<ref>Mohamed Haji Muktar, ''Historical Dictionary of Somalia'', (Scarecrow Press: 2003), p.35</ref> Used especially by rulers in the [[Adal Sultanate]] and the Ajuuraan kingdom. Notable Imams include [[Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi]], also known as Ahmed Gurey or Gran (both meaning "the Left Handed"). |
*'''[[Imam]]''': Denotes the Head of the State.<ref>Mohamed Haji Muktar, ''Historical Dictionary of Somalia'', (Scarecrow Press: 2003), p.35</ref> Used especially by rulers in the [[Adal Sultanate]] and the Ajuuraan kingdom. Notable Imams include [[Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi]], also known as Ahmed Gurey or Gran (both meaning "the Left Handed"). |
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*'''[[Emir]]''': Used by leaders in the Adal Sultanate. Also employed by commanders in the Ajuuraan State's [[Ajuuraan_State#Military|armed forces and navy]]. |
*'''[[Emir]]''': Used by leaders in the Adal Sultanate. Also employed by commanders in the Ajuuraan State's [[Ajuuraan_State#Military|armed forces and navy]]. |
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*'''[[Sayyid]]''': [[Honorific]] denoting males accepted as descendants of the [[Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]] through his grandsons, [[Hasan ibn Ali]] and [[Husain ibn Ali]], sons of the prophet's daughter [[Fatima Zahra]] and his son-in-law [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]].<ref name="Engseng">Ho, Engseng, Graves of Tarim, (University of California Press: 2006), Berkeley. p.149</ref> Used by leaders in the [[Dervish State]], notably [[Mohammed Abdullah Hassan]] ("Mad Mullah"). |
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===Court officials=== |
===Court officials=== |
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Revision as of 16:31, 24 July 2012
The following is a list of Somali aristocratic and court titles that were historically used by the Somali people's various sultanates, kingdoms and empires. Also included are the titles reserved for traditional leaders within the Somali customary law or xeer, and the nobiliary particles set aside for distinguished individuals.
Monarchs
Below is a list of the court titles traditionally retained by the Somali monarchies and aristocracies.
King of Kings
- Boqor: Literally denotes King. However, in practice, it is the primus inter pares or "King of Kings". The title was historically mainly used in the northeastern Puntland region of Somalia. The most prominent Boqor in recent times was Osman Mahamud, who governed the Majeerteen Sultanate during its 19th century heyday.
Rulers
- Suldaan: Denotes a Sultan. Very common title for rulers in the pre-colonial and colonial period, and was used throughout the Somali territories. Famous Sultans include Fakr ad-Din, the first Sultan of the Sultanate of Mogadishu; Mohamoud Ali Shire of the Warsangali Sultanate; and Yusuf Ali Kenadid of the Sultanate of Hobyo. The title was also employed by the leaders of the influential Ajuuraan State.
- Islaan: Probably derived from "Islam". Used mainly in the northeastern Puntland region.
- Garad or Gerad: Often used interchangeably with "Suldaan" to denote a Sultan. Used throughout northeastern (Puntland) and northwestern (Somaliland) Somalia. Notable Garads include Gerad Dhidhin, the founder of the Warsangali Sultanate.[1]
- Ugas: Generic term for "ruler". Used throughout northern Somalia and the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region in eastern Ethiopia.
- Malaakh: Signifies "War Leader". Used mainly by the Rahanweyn clan that forms one of the largest constituencies in southern Somalia, in addition to a few sympatric clans.[2] The Geledi-led Gobroon Dynasty of the Geledi Sultanate that controlled much of the south during the 18th and 19th centuries used the separate title Suldaan or Sultan.
- Imam: Denotes the Head of the State.[3] Used especially by rulers in the Adal Sultanate and the Ajuuraan kingdom. Notable Imams include Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, also known as Ahmed Gurey or Gran (both meaning "the Left Handed").
- Emir: Used by leaders in the Adal Sultanate. Also employed by commanders in the Ajuuraan State's armed forces and navy.
- Sayyid: Honorific denoting males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.[4] Used by leaders in the Dervish State, notably Mohammed Abdullah Hassan ("Mad Mullah").
Court officials
- Na'ib: Equivalent of Governor. Mainly used in the Ajuuraan State.
- Wazirs: Tax and revenue collectors. Used in the northern Majeerteen Sultanate and Sultanate of Hobyo, as well as the southern Ajuuraan State and Sultanate of Mogadishu.[5] Notable wazirs included the maternal grandfather of the Somali General Abdullahi Ahmed Irro, who was part of the northern-based Sultanate of Hobyo's aristocracy in the southern town of Kismayo.[6]
- Qadis: Denotes a Chief Judge. Especially common in northern Somalia. Prominent Qadis in relatively recent times included the father of Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur, inventor of the Borama script for the Somali language.[7]
Traditional leaders
Below is a list of the titles traditionally employed by leaders within the Somali xeer, or customary law.
- Caaqil or Akil: From the Arabic for "wise man". A common title for male elders, who are the traditional clan chiefs. Used in the north, particularly in the Somaliland region.[8]
- Odey: Literally "elder". The most common title for clan chiefs. Used throughout the Somali territories.
Nobiliary particles
- Aw: Nobiliary particle meaning "Blessed". Often reserved for early Islamic leaders such as Sharif Yuusuf Barkhadle, popularly known as Aw Barkhadle or the "Blessed Father",[8] a man described as "the most outstanding saint in northern Somalia".[9]
See also
Notes
- ^ Warsangeli Sultanate
- ^ Luling, Virginia (2002). Somali Sultanate: the Geledi city-state over 150 years. Transaction Publishers. p. 103. ISBN 1874209987.
- ^ Mohamed Haji Muktar, Historical Dictionary of Somalia, (Scarecrow Press: 2003), p.35
- ^ Ho, Engseng, Graves of Tarim, (University of California Press: 2006), Berkeley. p.149
- ^ Laitin, p.15
- ^ Ahmed III, Abdul. "History of Somali Military Personnel". THOAPI.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Laitin, pp.86-87
- ^ a b Abdullahi, p.140 Cite error: The named reference "Abdullahi1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Lewis, p.102
References
- Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye (2001). Culture and customs of Somalia. Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-31333-2.
- David D. Laitin (1 May 1977). Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-46791-7. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- Lewis, I.M. (1998). Saints and Somalis: Popular Islam in a Clan-based Society. The Red Sea Press. ISBN 978-1-56902-103-3.
- Luling, Virginia (2002). Somali Sultanate: the Geledi city-state over 150 years. Transaction Publishers. p. 103. ISBN 1874209987.
- Warsangeli Sultanate (Official website)