Historically, for many centuries the Arab states obeyed the dogmas and norms of the religion of Islam, did not know the rule of kings and emperors. So who ruled in them and what is the name of the supreme ruler in the Arab countries? Let's try to figure it out.
Most often, the form of government of the country is determined by the title of the ruler. If the ruler is called a sultan, then the sultanate, the caliph (the old name of the caliph) is the caliphate, and so on. Let's figure out what they have in common and what are the main differences.
Khalifas (Caliphs)
Representative of both secular and religious government without any separation, the supreme ruler in the Arab countries is the caliph. It was believed that the caliphs were earlier the vicegerents of the Prophet Muhammad on earth. Under this rule, it is religion that is the founder and has a huge impact on the political direction of life in the country.
In addition, the Caliphs were also called the Egyptian, and then the Turkish sultans,emphasizing their spiritual leadership over the Muslim inhabitants.
Sultans
Sultan is another official title that answers the question, what is the name of the supreme ruler in the Arab countries. If the sultan is at the head, then the state itself or its part (region, region, state) is called the sultanate. The name came to the world of Islam from the Koran as a designation of power, later "sultan" began to designate a representative of secular power, as opposed to "imam", as a representative of religious power.
The main distinguishing feature of the sultanate in the Islamic world is the rule of the dynasty for a long period. Being part of the caliphate, such a state was nevertheless independent and subordinated only to its ruler from the local dynasty. But it happened that an elected person came to power.
Today there is not a single country left where the Sultan would rule. The last known sultanates - Zanzibar, Katari, Kuaiti and Lahej - disappeared from the world map in 1964 and 1967. Although the most famous sultanates are considered to be the Ottoman ones, with the capital in Constantinople, and the Mamluks, the capital of Cairo.
Sheikhs and emirs
Some dynasties of modern representatives of the power of the Arab countries, such as Kuwait, Bahrain and others, appeared during the settlement of the tribes. Then they themselves chose sheikhs - another title that can be worn by the supreme Arab ruler.
It was sheikhs who influenced the life of the clan, their power grew, they were strengthened at the expense of weaker clans. And this process continueduntil one of the most powerful sheikhs founded his dynasty, passing power and control over to his children and grandchildren.
In the UAE, as the name suggests, the emir is at the head, this is another option, as the supreme ruler is called in the Arab countries. The title is hereditary. Although the country consists of seven independent administrative units - emirates, they are all subordinate to the supreme ruler. Sometimes he is also called the president, although this is not entirely correct, since the position is inherited.
Kings and Presidents
In some countries of the Arab world, for example, in Jordan or Morocco, the monarchy is still preserved, when power is united and concentrated in the hands of one sovereign. The ruling person at the same time bears the title of king. Naturally, the very word of non-Arabic origin was introduced into the language by the colonialists, who at one time exhibited these territories, although it answers the question, what is the name of the supreme ruler in the Arab countries.
There are cases when the form of government changed in the country, and hence the name of the head of state. For example, in Qatar, in the 70th year of the XX century, a constitution was adopted. It said that representatives of the emirates could choose a ruler from their circle for a period of five years. In this case, the title of the ruler is the president.
