Amir al-ʿarab

The amir al-ʿarab (Arabic: أمير العرب, also known as amir al-ʿurban; translation: "commander of the Bedouins") was a title denoting the commander or leader of the Bedouin tribes in Syria in successive Muslim states during the Middle Ages. The title was used as early as the 11th century to refer to Salih ibn Mirdas, but was formally turned into a state institution by the Ayyubid Sultanate and strengthened by the latter's Mamluk successors. The office was preserved under the early Ottomans (16th–17th centuries), at least ceremonially, but its importance had faded by then. The jurisdiction of the amir al-ʿarab was generally limited to central and northern Syria, and he often held iqtaʿat (fiefs) in the Syrian steppe, which formed the imarat al-ʿarab (emirate of the Bedouins). The imarat al-ʿarab was created both to co-opt the often rebellious Bedouin tribes of Syria and to enlist their support as auxiliary troops. Under the Mamluks, some of the principal duties of the amir al-ʿarab were guarding the desert frontier against the Mongol Ilkhanate in Iraq and Anatolia, ensuring Bedouin loyalty to the state, gathering intelligence on enemy forces, protecting infrastructure, villages and travelers from raids and providing horses and camels to the sultan. In return, the amir al-ʿarab was given iqtaʿat, an annual salary, official titles and honorary robes.

Under the Ayyubids, numerous Arab emirs held the post at any given time and were endowed with iqtaʿat. However, with the onset of Mamluk rule in Syria in 1260, it became a hereditary office consolidated by members of the Al Fadl dynasty, direct descendants of the Tayyid clan of Banu Jarrah. The office remained in the household of the Al Fadl emir, Isa ibn Muhanna, with occasional interruption, well into the early Ottoman era, during which Isa's descendants took over leadership of the Mawali tribe. Under the Ottomans, the role of the amir al-ʿarab appeared centered on providing camels to the state and guarding the Hajj pilgrim caravan in return for annual payments.

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