´¡²ÑĪ¸é(-E) °ÕŪ²ÑÄ€±·, commander of 10,000 men, a military rank originally used by the Il-khanids in the 7th/13th century (see JovaynÄ«, I, p. 23; cf. the ²ÔŲâÄå²Ô also a commander of 10,000 men; see G. Doerfer, Türkische und mongolische Elemente im Neupersischen I, Wiesbaden, 1963, p. 528). The term ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ô (tümen, ³ÙÅ«³¾²¹²Ô, etc.), used with various administrative and monetary values, originally referred to a district capable of providing approximately 10,000 men (but see W. Barthold, “Tuman,” EI1 IV, p. 836; on the origins, spellings, and meanings of the word see Doerfer, Elemente II, pp. 632-42).
Armies in Iran were generally divided in groups of ten, hundred, thousand, and ten thousand men with various terminologies which partly survived till Qajar times. Successive Qajar reforms introduced many changes in military ranks and titles (G. N. Curzon, Persia and the Persian Question, repr., London, 1966, I, pp. 576ff.; J. QÄʾem-maqÄmÄ«, TaḥawwolÄt-e sÄ«ÄsÄ«-e neẓÄm-e ĪrÄn, Tehran, 1326 Š./1947). Under AmÄ«r(-e) KabÄ«r (1264-68/1848-51), top level officers were ²õ²¹°ù³ÙÄ«±è and sarhang (infantry), sarkarda and ²õ´Ç±ôá¹Än (cavalry) (F. Ä€damÄ«yat, AmÄ«r KabÄ«r o ĪrÄn, Tehran, 1354 Š./1975, p. 301). However, the highest executive ranks remained linked with titles like ²õÄå±ôÄå°ù, ²õ²¹°ù»åÄå°ù, and ²¹³¾Ä«°ù and terminology remained confused. Thus Ê¿AzÄ«z Khan MokrÄ« then held the title of ÄåÇ°Å«»åÄå²Ô-²ú²¹&²õ³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;Ä«. From that time the title ²¹³¾Ä«°ù ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ô (ranking below the ²õ²¹°ù»åÄå°ù and above the mÄ«r panÇ°a) was granted to various Qajar dignitaries such as Moḥammad Khan GÄ«lÄnÄ« (BÄmdÄd, ¸é±ðÇ°Äå±ô II, p. 329), Fażl-Ê¿AlÄ« Khan QarabÄḡī and Mehr-Ê¿AlÄ« Khan ŠoÇ°ÄÊ¿-al-molk NÅ«rÄ« (at the time of the Anglo-Persian war of 1273-74/1856-57; see FasÄʾī, I, pp. 317-18, tr. Busse, pp. 332ff.; BÄmdÄd, ¸é±ðÇ°Äå±ô IV, pp. 187-88), and MÄ«rzÄ NabÄ« Khan QazvÄ«nÄ« (MÄ«rzÄ á¸¤osayn Khan MošÄ«r-al-dawla’s father; see S. Bakhash, Iran: Monarchy, Bureaucracy and Reform under the Qajars: 1858-1896, London, 1978, p. 43). NÄá¹£er-al-dÄ«n Shah conferred it on his favorite ḠolÄm-Ê¿AlÄ« Khan known as MalÄ«Ç°ak at the age of nine (ibid., p. 262). This probably accounts for the progressive depreciation of this title. However, since NÄá¹£er-al-dÄ«n Shah sold titles, medals, military rank and other honors, the number of omarÄ-ye ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ô increased considerably. In RamażÄn, 1311/March, 1894, a royal decree limited the highest military ranks to three ²õ²¹°ù»åÄå°ùs and seven ²¹³¾Ä«°ù ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ôs. A day after issuing this decree, the Shah approved the title of ²¹³¾Ä«°ù ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ô for two new candidates and EÊ¿temÄd-al-salá¹ana complains that there were more than one hundred ²¹³¾Ä«°ù ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ôs in the country although the Shah had once told him that the government couldn’t afford to have even three of them (¸éÅ«³ú-²ÔÄå³¾²¹-ye ḵÄá¹erÄt, ed. Ī. AfšÄr, Tehran, 2536 = 1356 Š./1977, pp. 940f.).
Among outstanding persons who held the title of ²¹³¾Ä«°ù ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ô from late NÄá¹£er-al-dÄ«n Shah’s reign one may mention: MÄ«rzÄ KarÄ«m Khan ArÇ°omandÄ« FÄ«rÅ«zkÅ«hÄ« (²¹³¾Ä«°ù ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ô from 1308/1890-91, see BÄmdÄd, ¸é±ðÇ°Äå±ô III, pp. 175-76), Moḥammad-á¹¢Äeq Khan QÄÇ°Är ŠÄmbayÄtÄ«, better known as AmÄ«n(-e) NeẓÄm, who, among other things, was commander of the artillery (EÊ¿temÄd-al-salá¹ana, ¸éÅ«³ú-²ÔÄå³¾²¹, p. 682 and index; in 1312/1894-95, he was Iran’s representative at EšqÄbÄd to settle border disputes with Russia; see BÄmdÄd, ¸é±ðÇ°Äå±ô III, pp. 410-12; Ê¿A. A. ŠamÄ«m, ĪrÄn dar dawra-ye salá¹anat-e QÄÇ°Är, Tehran, 1342 Š./1963, p. 192), MahdÄ« Khan (NÄá¹£er-al-molk’s brother), Ê¿AbdallÄh Khan QaraguzlÅ«, later AmÄ«r(-e) NeẓÄm (FarÄ«d-al-molk HamadÄnÄ«, ḴÄá¹erÄt-e FarÄ«d, ed. M. FarÄ«d, Tehran 1351 Š./1972, index), and MÄ«rzÄ ReÅ¼Ä Khan ArfaÊ¿-al-dawla were also ²¹³¾Ä«°ù ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ô (see NÄmahnÄ-ye Moḡīṯ-al-salá¹ana, ed. M. MÄfÄ«, Tehran, 1362 Š./1983, pp. 96, 111, nn.). Among Ê¿AbbÄs MÄ«rzÄ MolkÄrÄ’s retinue at Moscow in 1313/1896, his own son Moḥammad MÄ«rzÄ and Ê¿Abd-al-Ḥosayn Khan ModÄ«r-al-molk FÅ«manÄ« had the rank of ²¹³¾Ä«°ù ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ô (Ê¿A. MolkÄrÄ, Šarḥ-e ḥÄl, ed. Ê¿A. NavÄʾī, Tehran, 1361 Š./1982, pp. 205f.). In 1304 Š./1925, the title and function of ²¹³¾Ä«°ù ³ÙÅ«³¾Äå²Ô were abolished and replaced by ²¹³¾Ä«°ù(-e) laškar.
Bibliography:
See also Spuler, Mongolen3, pp. 299, 305, 335, 399.
M. Ḥ. EÊ¿temÄd-al-salá¹ana, TÄrīḵ-e montaẓam-e NÄá¹£erÄ«, Tehran, 3 vols., lith., 1299-1300/1881-83.
Idem, ²Ñ²¹á¹l²¹Ê¿-²¹±ô-&²õ³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;²¹³¾²õ, Tehran, 3 vols., lith., 1301-03/1883-86.
Idem, al-MaʾÄṯer wa’l-ÄṯÄr, Tehran, lith., 1307/1890-91, giving the dates of nomination, promotion, and discharge for each individual officer.
See also various ephemerides in SÄl-nÄma-ye ĪrÄn, 1290, n.p., lith., 1290/1873-74.
(J. Calmard)
Originally Published: December 15, 1989
Last Updated: August 3, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. I, Fasc. 9, p. 971
J. Calmard, “´¡²ÑĪ¸é °ÕŪ²ÑÄ€±·,” Encyclopædia Iranica, I/9, p. 971, available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/amir-e-tuman-commander-of-10000-men-a-military-rank-originally-used-by-the-il-khanids-in-the-7th-13th-cent (accessed on 30 December 2012).
