Information AboutSultan |
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Sultan () is an Islam ic title, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the Arabic '' Masdar '' سلطة ''sulṭah'', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain Muslim rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty in practical terms (i.e., the lack of dependence on any higher ruler), without claiming the overall Caliphate , or it was used to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate. It then developed some further meanings in certain contexts. -1999]] The dynasty and lands ruled by the Sultan is called Sultanate ( Arabic : سلطنة). MUSLIM RULER UNDER THE TERMS OF ''SHARIAH'' , 1914-1917.]] The title carries moral weight and religious authority, as the ruler's role was defined in the Qur'an . The Sultan however is not a religious teacher himself. Of course in constitutional monarchies, the sultanship can be reduced to a more limited role. The first to carry the title of 'Sultan' was the Turkmen chief Mahmud Of Ghazni (ruled 998 - 1030 ). Later, 'Sultan' became the usual title of rulers of Seljuk and Ottoman Turks and Ayyubid and Mamluk rulers in Egypt . In the later stages Sultan was used mostly for the wives of the emperor. The religious validation of the title was illustrated by the fact that the shadow Caliph in Cairo bestowed the title "Sultan" on Murad I , the third ruler of the emerging Ottoman Empire in 1383 ; its earlier sovereigns had been (protocollary 'mere') Bey s or Emir s. At later stages, lesser rulers assumed the style "sultan", as was the case for the earlier leaders of today's royal family of Morocco . Today, only the Sultan Of Oman , the Sultan Of Brunei (both sovereign nations), the Sultans of Johor , Kedah , Kelantan , Pahang , Perak , Selangor and Terengganu (of constitutive states of the federation) in Malaysia , and some titular sultans in Insulinde, a few on the Southern Philippines and Java (Indonesia) still use the title. The sultan's domain is properly called a sultanate. A feminine form, used by Westerners, is Sultana or sultanah; the very styling misconstrues the roles of wives of sultans. In a similar usage, the wife of a German Field-Marshal might be styled ''Feldmarschallin'' (in French, similar constructions of the type ''madame la maréchalle'' are quite common). Among those modern hereditary rulers who wish to emphasize their secular authority under the Rule Of Law , the term is gradually being replaced by 'king' (e.g. Malik in Arabic). COMPOUND RULER TITLES These are generally secondary titles, either lofty 'poetry' or with a message; e.g.:
FORMER SULTANS AND SULTANATES Middle East & Central Asia
:: Audhali , Fadhli , Haushabi , Kathiri , Lahej , Lower Aulaqi , Lower Yafa , Mahra , Qu'aiti , Subeihi , Upper Aulaqi , Upper Yafa and the Wahidi sultanates
Hami This was the authentic style, commonly rendered as sultan, of the Islamic monarchs of the ruling house of Oman, in both its realms:
North Africa
West & Central Africa
East Africa & Indian Ocean title Sultan
Maliki This was the alternative native style (apparently derived from Malik , the Arabic word for King) of the Sultans of Kilwa Kisiwani , in Tanganyika (presently the continental part of Tanzania) Swahili sultan Mfalume is the (Ki) Swahili title of various native Muslim rulers, generally rendered in Arabic and in western languages as Sultan:
Sultani This was the native ruler's title in the Tanzanian state of Uhehe Far East In China :
Furthermore, the Qa´id Jami Al-Muslimin (Leader of the Community of Muslims) of Pingnan Guo ("Pacified South State", a major Islamic rebellious polity in western Yunnan province) is usually referred to in foreign sources as Sultan ''Most sultanates were however in the ethnically predominantly Malay countries'':
In Malaysia , all on the Malay peninsula:
In Indonesia (formerly in the Dutch East Indies ):
In the Philippines :
In Thailand (Siam): South Asia
In India :
CONTEMPORARY SULTANATES
PRINCELY AND ARISTOCRATIC TITLES In the Ottoman dynastic system, male descendants of the ruling ''-i-''Sultanat'''' (given name) ''Effendi Hazlatlari'', i.e. Crown Prince of the sultanate.
In certain Muslim states, Sultan was also an aristocratic title, as in the Tartar Astrakhan Khanate MILITARY RANK In a number of post-caliphal states under Mongol or Turkic rule, there was a feudal type of military hierarchy, often decimal (mainly in larger empires), using originally princely titles ( Khan , Malik , Amir ) as mere rank denominations. In the Persian Empire , the rank of Sultan was roughly equivalent to a western Captain , socially in the fifth rank class, styled 'Ali Jah USE IN WESTERN POPULAR CULTURE The term Sultan is also used in modern pop vernacular to describe someone who has reached the peak of their profession, the elite of their class. For example, the premiere adult film star of the 1970's and 1980's, John C. Holmes was known as "The Sultan of Smut". SEE ALSO Other Islamic titles
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