or Bey, in the Turkish affairs. See Rey.

Beg is more particularly applied to the lord of a banner, called also in the same language sangiak-beg. A beg has the command of a certain number of the spahis, or horse, maintained by the province under the denomination of timariots. All the begs of a province obey one governor-general, called begler-beg, or begler-beg, q. d. lord of lords or of the begs of the province.

Begs, or Beghs, of Egypt, denote twelve generals, who had the command of the militia or standing forces of the kingdom; and were to secure the country from the insults of Arabs, as well as to protect the pilgrims in their annual expeditions to Mecca. They were formerly very rich and powerful; but the Turkish Pasha Ali, who has raised himself to independence in Egypt since the expulsion of the French, has annihilated the power of this class of officers.