The Collaborative International Dictionary
Firman \Fir"man\ (? or ?), n.; pl. Firmansor. [Pers. ferm[=a]n.] In Turkey and some other Oriental countries, a decree or mandate issued by the sovereign; a royal order or grant; -- generally given for special objects, as to a traveler to insure him protection and assistance. [Written also firmaun.]
Wiktionary
n. A royal decree issued by a sovereign in certain historical Islamic states, especially by the Sultan of Turkey.
Wikipedia
A firman, farman or ferman ( Turkish) at the constitutional level was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in certain historical Islamic states, including the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, State of Hyderabad, and Iran under Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. During various periods they were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The word firman comes from the meaning "decree" or "order". In Turkish it is called a ferman.
On a more practical level, a firman was, and may still be, any written permission granted by the appropriate Islamic official at any level of government. Westerners are perhaps most familiar with the permission to travel in a country, which typically could be purchased beforehand, or the permission to conduct scholarly investigation in the country, such as archaeological excavation. Firmans may or may not be combined with various sorts of passports.
Firman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
- Armen Firman (810–887), 9th century inventor
- Brett Firman (born 1976), Australian rugby league footballer
- Natasha Firman (born 1976), English racing driver, sister of Ralph Firman
- Ralph Firman (born 1975), Irish racing driver
Usage examples of "firman".
He enlarged on the resemblance between Battle and Firman to Laura on the way back to Slepe Rock.
It seems to me that we might do worse than get Firman to answer a few questions.
Now, if Firman had turned into that house, that would account for my having seen no more of him.
Now, Firman has a gammy leg, and I know I had a gammy ankle, but, even so, I ought to have caught him.
Here they learned that Firman had returned to his lodgings in London, but was expected to take part in the Club run on the following Saturday.
She doubted whether Firman had been more than a pawn on the maze-like board of play among Battle, Battle, Allwright and Cassius.
It was so far from any road along which vehicles could pass that its selection as the place in which Firman should be interviewed had seemed obvious.
He could guess who had killed Firman, but not where the murderer had gone.
Then he took out a gun, after he had pulled up the car, called on Firman to stop, went up to him, stuck the gun in his ribs, and took him back to the car.
Gascoigne, were out with this man Firman in an endeavour to extract information with regard to the other murder.
The charge against them is merely that by their way of applauding the performance, by their horrible cries and frightful gestures, they destroy the solemnity of divine service, and upon this ground the Franciscans obtained a firman for the exclusion of such tumultuous worshippers.
The Greeks, however, did not choose to lose the aid of their wild converts merely because they were a little backward in their religious education, and they therefore persuaded them to defy the firman by entering the city EN MASSE and overawing their enemies.
Abydos and Denderah, Sir Henry finally obtained a firman to excavate in what is perhaps the most romantic of all Egyptian archaeological sitesthe Valley of the Kings at Thebes.
Emerson, that Monsieur Grebaut send the firman giving you charge of the expedition to our hotel.
If at this moment the Sultan were to send me a firman demanding my head, I might well bewail, I certainly would bewail, but I would not be disturbed.