Vizier A vizier ( , rarely ; In modern usage , the term has been used for ministers in the Arab world , Uzbekistan , Iran , Afghanistan , Pakistan , and India . Etymology . The word entered into English in 1562 from the Turkish " vezir " ( " counselor " ) , derived from the in Arabic " wazir " ( " viceroy " ) . " Wazir " itself has two possible etymologies : on one hand it might be derived from " wazara " ( " to bear a burden " ) , from the Semitic root " W - Z - R " , the word is mentioned in the Quran as well as the word wizr ( burden ) which is also derived from the same root ; on the other hand , the presence of a Middle Persian predecessor for the word ( in Pahlavi ) , " vicir " ( " a legal document " or " decision " ) , derived from the Avestan " vichira " , meaning decreer or arbitrator , would seem to indicate an Indo - European origin . It is possible that the Semitic and Indo - Iranian terms influenced one another . Historical ministerial titles . The Muslim office of vizier , which spread from the Arabs , Persians , Turks , Mongols and neighboring peoples ( regardless of the style of the ruler ) , arose under the first Abbasid caliphs . The vizier stood between sovereign and subjects , representing the former in all matters touching the latter . The term has been used in two very different ways : either for a unique position , the prime minister at the head of the monarch ' s government ( the term Grand Vizier always refers to such a post ) , or as a shared ' cabinet rank ' , rather like a British secretary of state . If one such vizier is the prime minister , he may hold the title of Grand Vizier or another title . Modern post - monarchy use . " Wazīr " is the standard Arabic word for a government minister . Prime Ministers are usually termed " Ra ' īs al - Wuzara " ( literally , President of the Ministers ) or " al - Wazīr al - ' Awwal " ( Prime " First " Minister ) . The latter term is generally found in the Maghreb , while the former is typical of usage in the Mashriq ( broadly defined , including Egypt , Sudan , Levant , Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula ) . Thus , for example , the Prime Minister of Egypt is in Arabic a " wazīr " . In Iran the ministers of government are called " Vazīr " in Persian ( e . g . foreign / health " Vazīr " ) , and prime minister of state before the removal of the post , was called as " Nokhost Vazīr " . In Pakistan , the Prime Minister ( de facto ruling politician , formally under the President ) is called " Vazīr - e Azam " ( Persian for Grand vizier ) , other Ministers are styled " vazir " s . In the Nation of Islam , Louis Farrakhan is sometimes given the honorific title of Wazir . Anachronistic historical use . It is common , even among historians , to apply contemporary terms to cultures whose own authentic titles are ( or were when the habit took root ) insufficiently known , in this case to pre - Islamic antiquity . Thus in modern language - translations of the Bible , in Genesis chapter 41 , Joseph , the eleventh son of Jacob , is called Vizier to Pharaoh . In this same chapter of Genesis , Pharaoh changed his newly appointed Vizier ' s name to Zaphenath - paneah . Princely title . In the rare case of the Indian princely state of Jafarabad ( Jafrabad , founded c . 1650 ) , ruled by " Thanadar " s , in 1702 a state called Janjira was founded , with rulers ( six incumbents ) styled " wazir " ; when , in 1762 , Jafarabad and Janjira states entered into personal union , both titles were maintained until ( after 1825 ) the higher style of Nawab was assumed . Art . In contemporary literature and pantomime , the " Grand Vizier " is a character stereotype and is usually portrayed as a scheming backroom plotter and the clear power behind the throne of a usually bumbling or incompetent monarch . A well - known example of this is the sinister character of Jafar in the Disney animated film " Aladdin " , who plots and uses magic to take over the entire Kingdom of Agrabah under the nose of the nation ' s naïve sultan , just as Jaffar in the 1940 movie " The Thief of Bagdad " dethroned his master , caliph Ahmad . Others include Zigzag from " The Thief and the Cobbler " ( the original inspiration for the character of Jafar in Disney ' s " Aladdin " ) , the comic book character Iznogoud , Prince Sinbad ' s advisor Yusuf in the DC Vertigo series " Fables " , and the villains of the video games " Prince of Persia " and " " . Perhaps the origin of this character archetype is the biblical account of Esther . The book details the rise of a Jewish woman to Queen of Persia , and her role in stopping the plot of Haman , chief advisor to the Persian king , to wipe out all Jews living in Persia . Throughout history the notion of the sinister Grand Vizier has often been invoked when a political leader appears to be developing a cozy relationship with a spiritual advisor of questionable scruples or talents . This stereotype is frequently mentioned in Terry Pratchett ' s Discworld series , as for example in both Sourcery and Interesting Times . Influence on chess . In Shatranj , from which modern chess developed , the piece corresponding to the modern chess " queen " ( though far weaker ) was often called " Wazīr " . Up to the present , the word for the queen piece in chess is still " vazīr " in Persian , " vezir " in Turkish , " wazir " in Arabic , and " vezér " in Hungarian ( meaning " leader " ) .