Sheikhdom
Geographical area ruled by a leader
A sheikhdom or sheikdom (Arabic: مشيخة, romanized: Mashyakhah) is a geographical area or a society ruled by a tribal leader known as a sheikh (Arabic: شيخ). Sheikhdoms exist almost exclusively within Arab countries, particularly in the Arabian Peninsula (Arab States of the Persian Gulf), with some notable exceptions throughout history (e.g. the Sangage Sheikhdom).
Although some countries are ruled by a sheikh, they are not typically referred to as sheikdoms, but kingdom, emirate, or simply state, and their ruler usually has another royal title such as king or emir.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Sheikhdom”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Sheikhhattamdehaddadin.jpg by Alexandre Evgenevich Iacovleff (1887-1938), Public domain
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.