Primarily a
malik is the ruling monarch of a
kingdom, called
mamlaka; that term is however also used in a broader sense, like realm, for rulers with another, generally lower titles, as in
Sahib al-Mamlaka. Malik is also used for tribal leaders, e.g. among the
Pashtuns. Some
Arab kingdoms are currently ruled by a Malik: •
Bahrain, formerly under a
hakim, or "ruler", until 16 August 1971, then under an
emir, or "prince", and since 14 February 2002 under a
malik. •
Jordan, formerly the
Emirate of
Transjordan; •
Morocco, formerly a
Sultanate; •
Saudi Arabia. On 10 June 1916, the
Grand Sharif of
Mecca assumed the title of King of the
Hejaz; from 29 October 1916 "King of the Arabs and
Commander of the Faithful"; from 6 November 1916 recognized by the allied powers only as King of the
Hejaz,
Commander of the Faithful,
Grand Sharif and
emir of Mecca; also assumed the title of
Caliph on 11 March 1924; from 3 October 1924: King of the Hejaz and Grand Sharif of Mecca. In 1925
Nejd conquered Hijaz, so the Sultan of Nejd added the title "King of Hijaz". On 22 September 1932 Nejd and Hejaz were renamed as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, full style: ''Malik al-Mamlaka al-'Arabiyya as-Sa'udiyya
("King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"); from 1986 prefixed to the name: Khadim al-Haramayn ash-Sharifayn'' ("Servant (i.e.
Protector) of the Two Exalted Holy Places [Mecca and Medina]"). Other historic realms under a Malik include: •
Egypt – the former
khedivate and subsequently
independent sultanate was ruled by
Malik Misr ("
King of Egypt") from 1922 to 1951; and ''Malik Misr wa's Sudan'' ("
King of Egypt and the Sudan") from 16 October 1951 until the proclamation of the republic on 18 June 1953 •
Iraq – between 23 August 1921 and 2 May 1958, Iraq was ruled by a Hashemite ''
Malik al-'Iraq'' ("King of Iraq"). Among the indigenous
Assyrians and
Kurdish Jews, the term has been (and still is) used since pre-Arab and pre-Islamic times for the title of tribal chief, for example
Malik Khoshaba of the Bit-
Tyareh tribe. •
Libya –
Idris I (1890–1983) (Sayyid Muhammad Idris
as-Sanusi, heir of a Muslim sect's dynasty) reigned as
Malik al-Mamlaka al-Libiyya al-Muttahida ("King of the United Libyan Kingdom") from 24 December 1951 through 25 April 1963 and
Malik al-Mamlaka al-Libiyya ("King of the Libyan Kingdom") until 1 September 1969. •
Maldives – between 1965 and 1968,
Muhammad Fareed Didi ruled the Maldives as ''Jala'ala ul-Malik'' ("King" and the style of "His Majesty"); previous rulers were styled Sultan of Land and Sea and Lord of the twelve-thousand islands, holding both the Arabic title of Sultan and the more ancient
Divehi title of Maha Radun or Ras Kilege. •
Oman – the
Nabhani dynasty ruled Oman between 1154 and 1470; later it was an
imamate / Sultanate. •
Tunisia was formerly ruled by maliks (1 year). •
Yemen – between 1918 and 27 September 1962, and in dissidence to March 1970, the imamate of Yemen was ruled by ''
Imam al-Muslimin, Amir al-Mu'minin, Malik al-Mamlaka al-Mutawakkiliyya al-Yamaniyya'' ("Imam of the Muslims,
Commander of the Faithful, King of the Mutawakkilite Yemeni Kingdom"). •
Afghanistan,
Pakistan,
Bangladesh,
India – The
Muslim rulers bestowed the title of
Malik on loyal tribal leaders and chieftains in
South Asia. The
Mughal and colonial
India, the princely state of
Zainabad, Vanod was ruled by a
Malek Shri (
Shri is an emphatical
honorific).
Malik has also been used in languages which adopted Arabic
loanwords (mainly, not exclusively, in Muslim cultures), for various
princely or lower ranks and functions. • In
Armenia, the title of Melik was bestowed upon princes who ruled various
principalities, often referred to as Melikdoms. • In
Georgia, among the numerous Grandees, often related to Armenia: • In the fourth class, (
Sul-didibuli-tavadi) of the
Kingdom of Kartli, commanders of banners (
sadrosho), sixth and last in that class, the Malik of
Somkhiti (Somkhiti is the name of Armenia in Georgian). • In the sixth class, Grandees of the second class (
mtavari) of the Kingdom of Kartli, ranking first of the second subclass, Grandees under the Prince of
Sabaratiano: the
Malik of Lori (
Lori – a region in Armenia), head of the house of
Melikishvili. The word Malik is sometimes used in Arabic to render roughly equivalent titles of foreign rulers, for instance the chronicler
Baha al-Din Ibn Shaddad refers to King
Richard I of England as
Malik al-Inkitar. ==Religious==