Wāli, Wā'lī or vali is an administrative title that was used in the Mulim World to designate governors of administrative divisions. It is still in use in some countries influenced by Arab or Muslim culture. The division that a Wāli governs is called Wilayah, or in the case of Ottoman Turkey, "Vilayet". The title currently also refers to the ceremonial head of the Bangsamoro, a Muslim-majority autonomous region of the Philippines.
In Iran the term is known as Vāli and refers to the governor-general or local lord of an important province. During the Safavid reign 1501-1722 the former rulers of the then subordinated provinces of the Georgian Kartli and Kakheti kingdom, the Kurdish emirate of Ardalan, the chiefs of Lorestān Province and of Khuzestan Province in western Iran were regarded as hereditary governor-generals titled Vāliequal to the Beylerbeylik. These "lords of the marches" should protect Iran's western borders against foreign powers. During the Qajar rule 1785-1925 the kingdom of Georgia was lost to Russia and the hereditary lords were replaced by officials of the central power. Mainly these officials came from the group of imperial princes and royal notables and were made Vāli of important provinces. For example, the crown prince bore traditionally the title of Vāli of Azerbaijan.
The Sultanate of Oman, when it ruled Mombasa, Kenya, appointed a wali for the city known locally as LiWali. The term is still used today to denote settlements of Oman, such as the Wilayat Madha, a settlement which intersects the road between Madam in Sharjah and Hatta in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Many Rulers of the Trucial States appointed walis to look after towns on their behalf, including employing slaves for that purpose.
Moroccan term
Since 1997 regionalisation reform, a Wāli is the governor of one of the sixteen regions of Morocco.
In the Philippines, the term Wa'lī is the name for the titular head of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, an autonomous region in the large southern island of Mindanao. The Wa'lī have ceremonial functions and powers such as moral guardianship of the territory and convocation and dissolution of its parliament.
Turkish term
In Turkey a Vali is a provincial governor of one of the 81 Turkish provinces. He is nominated by the interior minister and appointed by the president. A Vali supervises the functioning of the state functions such as security and maintenance and oversees also the elected provincial and municipal councils. During the OHALState of emergency from 1987 to 2002, there existed a so called Super Vali who oversaw the Valis of up to 13 provinces in southeast Anatolia.
