an administrative subdivision usually translated as province

A wilāyah (Arabic: ولاية) or vilâyet (in Persian and Ottoman Turkish) is an administrative division, usually translated as "province." The word derives from the Arabic root w-l-y, meaning "to govern": a wali 'governer' governs a wilayah 'that which is governed'. Under the Caliphate, it referred to one of the constituent near-sovereign states.