Highest service

In ancient times, the Vizier was the highest-ranking government official appointed by the pharaoh (king) to serve him as his chancellor (chief administrator). When a pharaoh was very young or was weak or otherwise incapacitated, it was the Vizier who cohesively held the country together.

Character and trust

Ancient Viziers, because of their power, were expected to be law-abiding, impartial, and level-headed. They often wore white robes to symbolize their purity of heart and spirit. A vizier did not attempt to supplant the pharaoh, due to his code of ethics.

Responsibilities

The Vizier’s main duties involved overseeing the following departments:

▪ Agricultural

▪ Executive

▪ Interior

▪ Judicial

▪ Treasury

▪ War

Among these general duties, were the specific duties of sitting in the high court, recording trade, and acting as the pharaoh’s seal bearer.

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

– Winston Churchill