sultan
Sign in to savethumb|Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning [[sultan of the Ottoman Empire|281x281px]]
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A sultan is a ruler or monarch, most commonly associated with Islamic empires and kingdoms throughout history. The title matters because sultans wielded significant political and often religious authority over large territories and populations, shaping major civilizations like the Ottoman Empire.
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Article
24 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History of the term
- Feminine forms
- Compound ruler titles
- Princely and aristocratic titles
- Military rank
- Current sultans
- Former sultans and sultanates
- Sultanates in the Balkans & Anatolia
- Caucasus
- Levant & Egypt
- Arabia
- Maghreb
- Sub-saharan Africa
- {{largediv|Horn of Africa}}
- {{largediv|Swahili Coast}}
- ''Mfalume''
- ''Sultani''
- ''Maliki''
- Persia and Central Asia
- Indian superregion
- Southeast and East Asia
- See also
- References
thumb|Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning [[sultan of the Ottoman Empire|281x281px]]
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty (i.e., not having dependence on any higher ruler) without claiming the overall caliphate, or to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate. The adjectival form of the word is "sultanic", and the state and territories ruled by a sultan, as well as his office, are referred to as a sultanate ( ').