Central power and state administration in the Emirate

The emirate was an absolute monarchy: the amir had unlimited authority, though he consulted senior officials and tribal leaders when deciding. The dargah and devon system of Ashtarkhanid times was abolished and state business was gathered in the hands of palace posts or influential people; the qushbegi became the second person after the amir and lived in the Ark, while the ataliq lost its standing. The emirate was divided into provinces (begliks), and literature mentions 27 of them, each run by a beg. Lower units were set by the amount of irrigated land, and the lowest was the amlok, run by an amlokdor with the help of village elders, an amin and mirabs. After the qushbegi came the finance minister (devonbegi); other posts included parvonachi, inoqs, to‘qsoba, kukaldosh, mehtar, qutval, mirakhur and dodkhah. Sharia observance was ensured by the Shaykh al-Islam, qazi-kalan, mufti, muhtasib (rais) and sadrs: the qazi-kalan led the courts, the mufti gave fatwas, and sadrs managed waqf property.