diwan

Diwan, also spelled divan, is a term used across the Persianate and Islamic world with several related senses. The word derives from Persian diwan, with Arabic and Turkish usage, and originally meant a register, list, or book. From this core meaning it broadened to denote a government office or department, a state archive, and the council or court that administered or advised the ruler. In many languages the term has produced related forms such as diwān in Arabic and divan in Turkish.

In imperial administrations, a diwan was a government department or ministry responsible for specific functions such as revenue, justice, or correspondence. Under various caliphates and sultanates, separate diwans administered taxation, public finances, and records. The Ottoman Empire maintained a central body known as the Divan or Divan-ı Hümayun, an essential advisory and administrative council. In the Indian subcontinent, Mughal and Nawabi governance used a diwan as the revenue minister or chief administrator, often overseeing the treasury and state finances. The term could also denote the ruler’s court or a local governing council.

In literature, a diwan is a collection of poetry by a single author, typically compiled in Persian, Urdu, Arabic, or Turkish. A diwan presents the poet’s works as a single volume, often arranged by form or chronology and sometimes accompanied by biographical notes. Numerous celebrated poets have published diwans, such as Hafez, Ghalib, and Firdausi, making the term a standard category in literary catalogues. Modern usage retains these senses, reflecting both administrative history and literary tradition.