The Caliphate

An Overview of the Government Departments

In western democracies the executive branch of government is split amongst a group of independent government departments headed by a minister. In the Caliphate government departments are administrative bodies and completely seperate from the executive branch of government.

Government Departments are established according to the needs of the people and may change due to changing circumstances in running the affairs of state.

The government departments are headed by a Director-General who is appointed by the Caliph. The department is then split in to offices and agencies depending on the needs of the department. Each office is headed by a Director, and each agency by a Chief Executive.

The Caliph can delegate some executive powers to a government department if necessary. In this case the head of the government department will be a secretary of State (wali) and will form part of the Caliph's cabinet. The Treasury Department (Bait ul-Mal) as an example will be headed by a secretary of state for the Treasury (wali ul-Kharaj).

Some government departments, although administrative bodies, have an elevated status due to their vital role in running the affairs of state. These departments are still headed by a Director-General but are part of the Caliph's cabinet. These departments are:

Information Department

Internal Affairs Department

Foreign Affairs Department

Industry Department

Military Department



The Government Departments (Da'irah)
The Divan Salonu (Council Chamber) inside the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, which was home to the Khaleefah's Mehmet the Conqueror in the 1450's until Mahmut II in 1839. This is where the Ottoman government met daily.

The Department of Religious Affairs is expanded above to illustrate how a department is divided in to offices and agencies.

		An Overview of the Government Departments In western democracies the executive branch of government is split amongst a group of independent government departments headed by a minister. In the Caliphate government departments are administrative bodies and completely seperate from the executive branch of government. Government Departments are established according to the needs of the people and may change due to changing circumstances in running the affairs of state. The government departments are headed by a Director-General who is appointed by the Caliph. The department is then split in to offices and agencies depending on the needs of the department. Each office is headed by a Director, and each agency by a Chief Executive. The Caliph can delegate some executive powers to a government department if necessary. In this case the head of the government department will be a secretary of State (wali) and will form part of the Caliph's cabinet. The Treasury Department (Bait ul-Mal) as an example will be headed by a secretary of state for the Treasury (wali ul-Kharaj). Some government departments, although administrative bodies, have an elevated status due to their vital role in running the affairs of state. These departments are still headed by a Director-General but are part of the Caliph's cabinet. These departments are: Information Department Internal Affairs Department Foreign Affairs Department Industry Department Military Department