an emirate is a political territory that is ruled by an emir, a dynastic arab monarch. the word emirate or amirate comes from , "imaarah" ; plural: إمارات, "imaraat". the united arab emirates is a federal state of seven federal emirates, each administered by a hereditary emir, these seven elect the federation's president and prime minister. most emirates have either disappeared or become part of a larger modern state, some changed their rulers' title, e.g. to malik (arabic for king) or sultan. therefore true emirate-states have become rare.