A vizier (/vəˈzɪər, ˈvɪziər/; Arabic: وزير, romanized: wazīr; Persian: وزیر, romanized: vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title wazir to a minister formerly called katib (secretary), who was at first merely a helper but afterwards became the representative and successor of the dapir (official scribe or secretary) of the Sassanian kings. In modern usage, the term has been used for government ministers in much of the Middle East and beyond.