 In central and northern Syria, the Bedouin came under the authority of the Al Fadl emirs in their capacity as the hereditary officeholders of the "amir al-ʿarab" (commander of the Bedouin) post, beginning with Emir Isa ibn Muhanna (r. 1260–1284).The Al Mira emirs held a similar, but lower-ranking office, in southern Syria, and its preeminent emir was known as "malik al-ʿarab" (king of the Bedouin).In al-Sharqiyah, the Tha'laba, whose encampments were close to the Mamluk seat of government, were tasked with maintaining and protecting the "barid" (postal route) in their district and were occasionally appointed to government posts.