Under the Mamluk Sultanate it was initially a lowly office, but during the Burji dynasty it became one of the seven most important offices, being termed 'Grand Keeper of the Inkpot' (), and receiving additional, junior s as aides. The office variously had responsibilities over tax and harvest collection in Upper Egypt, or the mustering of soldiers for campaigns; some holders of the office accumulated great power, and some even rose to become sultans themselves.
In the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Empire, the s were mere chancery scribes.
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