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wali

File:ModernEgypt,_Muhammad_Ali_by_Auguste_Couder,_BAP_17996.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Also known as wālī, vali

administrative title that was used during the Caliphate and Ottoman Empire to designate governors of administrative divisions

Wikidata facts

Instance of
occupation
Subclass of
governor
Part of
monarchy
Show 2 more facts
topic's main category
Category:Medieval governors
organization directed by the office or position
wilaya
Sources (2)

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Encyclopedic overview

Mehemet Ali Viceroy of Egypt, by Auguste Couder, 1841. Rostom (Rostam Khan), Safavid viceroy of Kartli, Georgia.

Wāli, wā'lī or vali (from Arabic: والي) is an administrative title used in the Muslim world to designate the governor of an administrative division. It was used in a number of historical Islamic states, including the Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid and Ottoman empires. The division governed by a wāli is called a wilaya; in the Ottoman Empire, the corresponding term was vilayet. The title remains in use in some countries influenced by Arabic or Ottoman administrative traditions.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “wali” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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