sirdar

Sirdar is a historical military title of Persian origin meaning chief or leader. The term entered English through South Asian languages as sardar or sirdar, and remains a cognate of the common title sardar used across the region.

In Egypt, during the period of British influence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Sirdar was the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Army. The office represented the highest military post in Egypt’s armed forces and was typically held by a British officer or a prominent collaborator with the British administration. The holder directed operations in Egypt and Sudan and reported to the Khedive; the role existed in various forms through the era of Anglo-Egyptian rule, evolving with political changes in the region.

In the Indian subcontinent, the term appears in historical sources as a rendering of a local rank or role of a military or tribal leader, derived from the same root as sardar. In British colonial usage, sirdar variants were sometimes used to denote a commanding figure within a regiment or a local chieftain, but the precise application varied by region and period. The non-English forms, such as sardar, were more commonly used in most contexts.

Today the term sirdar is primarily of historical interest. It survives mainly in historical writings and linguistic discussions as a variant spelling of sardar and as a reminder of the cultural and linguistic exchanges that shaped military titles in the region.