Muhafazah


A muḥāfaẓah is a first-level administrative division of many Arab countries, and a second-level administrative division in Saudi Arabia. The term is usually translated to "governorate", and occasionally to "province". It comes from the Arabic root ح ف ظ ḥ-f-ẓ, which means to "keep" and "guard". The head of a muḥāfaẓah is the muḥāfiẓ.

Muhafazat in Arab countries

The governorates of Tunisia are wilāyah in Arabic.