The Melik Society | Ranks in the Egyptian Army

Ranks in the Egyptian Army

COMPARATIVE RANKS IN THE EGYPTIAN ARMY (PRE-1952)

SIRDAR	British Commander-in-Chief 1881-1925
FERIK	LIEUTENANT GENERAL
LEWA	MAJOR GENERAL
MIRALAI	BRIGADIER OR COLONEL
KAIMAKAM	LIEUTENANT COLONEL
BIMBASHI	MAJOR
SAGHKOLOGASI	ADJUTANT MAJOR
YUZBASHI	CAPTAIN
MULAZIM AWAL	LIEUTENANT
MULAZIM TANI	SECOND LIEUTENANT
SOLKOLOGASI	QUARTERMASTER
BASH SHAWISH	SERGEANT MAJOR
BULK AMIN	QUARTERMASTER SERGT
SHAWISH	SERGEANT
OMBASHI	CORPORAL
NAFAR	PRIVATE

Note 1. These ranks were of Turkish origin dating from the time when Egypt was a province of the Ottoman Empire.

Note 2. The ranks Miralai and Kaimakam received the honorary title of Bey and, Ferik and Lewa that of Pasha.

Note 3. After the Nasserite revolution of 1952 and the fall of the last of the Mohamed Ali dynasty (King Farouk) all ranks were changed to an Arabic equivalent. However, in the Sudan Defence Force they remained unchanged until Independence in 1956.