Sirdar

This article is about historical use of the title in Egypt. For places in Iran, see Sirdar (disambiguation). For the submarine, see HMS Sirdar (P226). For uses in other times and places, see Sardar.

Sirdar, a variant of Sardar, a long-standing rank in Western and Southern Asia – was assigned to the British Commander-in-Chief of the British-controlled Egyptian Army in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Sirdar resided at the Sirdaria, a three-block-long property in Zamalek which was also the home of British military intelligence in Egypt.

The first use of the word sardar or sirdar in English language is dated back to 1595. The original form of the word in Persian is "sardār" and this version is used in Hindi and Urdu languages as well, (Merriam Webster entry for the word sirdar.)

List of sirdars	from	to
Sir Evelyn Wood	1883	1885
Lord Grenfell	1885	1892
Lord Kitchener	1892	1899
Sir Reginald Wingate	1899	1916
Sir Lee Stack	1916	1924
Sir Charlton Spinks	1924	1937

References

• Raafat, Samir (2001-02-15). "The Sirdaria". Cairo Times. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
• Merriam Webster entry for the word sirdar.