What does emirate mean?
An emirate is a political territory — traditionally a principality — that is ruled by an emir, an Arabic title for a commander, prince, or ruler. The word is most familiar today through the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven emirates on the Arabian Peninsula, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Historically, emirates have ranged from small tribal domains to substantial states across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia such as Afghanistan under Taliban rule, which styled itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The term carries connotations of monarchical or dynastic authority rooted in Islamic and Arabic political tradition, and it appears frequently in news coverage of Gulf politics, energy markets, and regional diplomacy. A secondary sense denotes the office or reign of an emir rather than the land itself.
A territory or state ruled by an emir.
"Qatar is an independent emirate on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula."
The office, rank, or period of rule of an emir.
"He held the emirate for nearly twenty years before abdicating."
"The seven emirates joined together to form a single federation in 1971."
The United Arab Emirates isn't named after a person — 'Emirates' literally just means 'the territories ruled by emirs.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Easily confused with emirate
Amirate refers to the rank, office, or period of rule of an emir, while emirate most commonly means the territory itself, though the two terms overlap.