Vizier

This article is about the Arabic title. For the astronomical catalogue service, see VizieR. For the office in ancient Egypt, see Vizier (Ancient Egypt).
"Wazīr" redirects here. For other uses, see Wazir (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with visor.
Coat of arms of the Ottoman Grand Vizier

A vizier (/ˈvɪziər/;[1] Arabic: وزير, romanized: wazīr; Persian: وزیر, romanized: vazīr) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the Near East.[2] The Abbasid caliphs gave the title wazir to a minister formerly called katib (secretary), who was at first merely a helper but afterwards became the representative and successor of the dapir (official scribe or secretary) of the Sassanian kings.[3]

In modern usage, the term has been used for government ministers in much of the Middle East and beyond. Several alternative spellings are used in English, such as vizir, wazir, and vezir.

  1. ^ "vizier". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021.
    "vizier". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  2. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wazir" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 435.
  3. ^ R. A. Nicholson, A Literary History of the Arabs, p. 257