 There is scant information about the authorities ' management of the Syrian Desert Bedouin between the early 11th and mid @-@ 13th centuries . Likewise , the origins of the title of amir al @-@ ʿarab are unclear . A number of medieval Muslim chroniclers referred to Salih ibn <unk> ( d . 1029 ) , the founder of the Mirdasid emirate in Aleppo , as amir ʿarab al @-@ Sham , which translates from Arabic as " commander of the Bedouin of Syria " . Hassan ibn Mufarrij , the Jarrahid chieftain and ally of Salih , was also referred to as amir al @-@ ʿarab by medieval sources . According to historian Suhayl Zakkar , the " value " of the title " is not known but at least indicates the high position of its holder " . Moreover , Zakkar asserts : 
