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Wāli,Wā'lī orvali (fromArabic:واليWālī) is an administrative title that was used in theMuslim world (including theRashidun,Umayyad andAbbasidcaliphates and theOttoman Empire) to designate governors ofadministrative divisions. It is still in use in some countries influenced by Arab or Muslim culture. The division that aWāli governs is calledWilayah, orVilayet (Ottoman Empire).
InAlgeria, awāli is the "governor" and administrative head of each of the58 provinces of the country, and is chosen by thepresident.
InIran,Vāli refers to the governor-general or local lord of an important province. During theSafavid era (1501–1736), the former rulers of the then subordinated provinces of the GeorgianKartli andKakheti kingdom, the Kurdish emirate ofArdalan, the chiefs ofLorestan province and ofKhuzestan province in westernIran were regarded as hereditary governor-generals titledVāli equal to theBeylerbeylik. These "lords of the marches" protected Iran's western borders against foreign powers.
During theQajar era (1789–1925), thekingdom of Georgia was lost to Russia and the hereditary lords were replaced by officials of the central power. These officials were mainly imperial princes and royal notables and served as the Vāli of important provinces. For example, thecrown prince traditionally bore the title of Vāli ofAzerbaijan.
Vali (translated as "gouverneur-général" in French,[1][note 1] such as in theOttoman constitution) was the title in the Ottoman Empire of the most common type of Ottomangovernor, in charge of avilayet (inOttoman Turkish), often a military officer such as apasha; seeSubdivisions of the Ottoman Empire. The form used in some parts of the empire wasWali.
The Sultanate ofOman, when it ruledMombasa,Kenya, appointed awali for the city known locally asLiWali. The term is still used today to denote settlements of Oman, such as theWilayatMadha, a settlement that intersects the road betweenMadam inSharjah andHatta inDubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Many rulers of theTrucial States (also called Trucial Oman in the past) appointedwalis to look after towns on their behalf, including employing slaves for that purpose.
Since 1997 regionalisation reform, aWāli is the governor of one of the twelveregions of Morocco.
InPakistan, the rulers of the former princely state ofSwat were given the title ofWali.
In thePhilippines, the termWa'lī is the name for the titular head ofBangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, an autonomous region in the large southern island ofMindanao. TheWa'lī have ceremonial functions and powers such as moral guardianship of the territory and convocation and dissolution of itsparliament.[4]
InTunisia, awāli is the "governor" and administrative head of each of the24 provinces of the country, and is chosen by thepresident.
In Turkey a Vali is a provincial governor of one of the 81Turkish provinces. He is nominated by the interior minister and appointed by the president. A Vali supervises the functioning of the state functions such as security and maintenance and oversees also the elected provincial and municipal councils. During theOHAL State of emergency from 1987 to 2002, there existed a so-called Super Vali who oversaw the Valis of up to 13 provinces in southeast Anatolia.[5]
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| Preceded by | Style of the Egyptian sovereign 1517–1805 | Succeeded by |
