Mushir

Mushir (Arabic: مشير) is an Arabic word meaning "counsellor" or "advisor". It is related to the word shura, meaning consultation or "taking counsel".

As an official title, it historically indicates a personal advisor to the ruler. In this use it is roughly comparable to the European titles of State Counsellor and Counsellor of State.

In a military context, mushir became associated with the idea of the ruler's personal counsellor or advisor on military matters, and as such became the highest rank in Arab countries and the Ottoman Empire. It is used as the highest rank in most armed forces of the Middle East and North Africa, for armies, navies, and air forces. It is therefore equivalent to the ranks of Field Marshal and Admiral of the Fleet.

Iraq

In Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi Navy maintained a fleet admiral rank known as Mushir. A Mushir was the most senior of all naval officers and the rank was rarely bestowed. The sleeve insignia was the same as a British Admiral of the Fleet.^{[citation needed]}

The rank of Mushir in Iraq is known as "Muhib" and is used in all official and unofficial addresses.^{[citation needed]} Saddam Hussein as commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces was an honorary "staff muhib" (مهيب ركن) in the Iraqi army, and the uniform which he typically wore was that of a staff muhib. He was the only muhib in the Iraqi Army, for the minister of defence and the chief of staff held the rank of Fariq awal rukun (فريق اول ركن), or "staff general". (Hussein never actually served in the Iraqi Army but commanded as ruler of Iraq.) After Hussein's fall in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the rank of Mushir became obsolete in the new Iraqi military.^{[citation needed]}

Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, the rank of Mushir is typically held ceremonially by the House of Saud, and translated as "First class Field Marshal".

List of Egyptian field marshals

Kingdom of Egypt

Abbas I Hilmi Pasha (1813–1854)
Ibrahim Pasha (1789–1848)
Yahya Mansur Yeghen (1837–1913)
Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850–1916)
20 December 1914 – Sultan Hussein Kamel (1853–1917)
King Fuad I (1868–1936)
'Aziz 'Ali al-Misri (1879–1965)
King Farouk (1920–1965)
26 July 1952 – King Fuad II (born 1952)

Republic of Egypt

Abdel Hakim Amer (1952–1967): Active duty
November 1973 – Ahmad Ismail Ali (1917–1974): Active duty
Abdel Ghani Elgamasy (1921–2003): Active duty
Fouad Mohamed Abou Zikry (1923–1983): Honorary
Mohammed Aly Fahmy (1920–1999): Honorary
Ahmed Badawi (1927–1981): Posthumously
1982 – Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala (1930–2008): Active duty
1993 – Mohamed Hussein Tantawi (1935–2021): Active duty
27 January 2014 – Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (born 1954): Active duty

Rank insignia

	Army	Navy	Air Force
Bahrain Defence Force
Egyptian Armed Forces
Iraqi Armed Forces
Jordanian Armed Forces
Libyan Armed Forces
Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces
Royal Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia
Sudanese Armed Forces
Syrian Armed Forces
Republic of Yemen Armed Forces

Historic

Royal Egyptian Army
Ottoman Army