Sultan Sultan ( ' , ) is a noble title with several historical meanings . Originally , it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning " strength " , " authority " , " rulership " and " dictatorship " , derived from the " masdar " سلطة ' , meaning " authority " or " power " . Later , it came to be used as the title of certain 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 to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate . The dynasty and lands ruled by a sultan are referred to as a sultanate ( ) . A feminine form , used by Westerners , is sultana or sultanah ; though 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 maréchale " are quite common ) . The rare female leaders in Muslim history are correctly known as " sultanas " . However , in the Sultanate of Sulu , the wife of the sultan is styled as the " panguian " . 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 ( i . e . , " malik " in Arabic ) . Compound ruler titles . These are generally secondary titles , either lofty ' poetry ' or with a message ; e . g . : Former sultans and sultanates . East Africa and Indian Ocean . Maliki . This was the alternative native style ( apparently derived from malik , the Arabic word for king ) of the Sultans of the Kilwa Sultanate , 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 a female sultan Southern Asia . In India : In the Maldives : Southeast and East Asia . In Indonesia ( formerly in the Dutch East Indies ) : In the Peninsular Malaysia : In Brunei : In China : In the Philippines : In Thailand ( Siam ) : in some parts of the middle east and north Africa . there are still regional sultans or people who are descendants and maintain the title of sultan . Princely and aristocratic titles . In the Ottoman dynastic system , male descendants of the ruling " Padishah " ( in the West also known as Great Sultan ) enjoyed a style including Sultan . This normally monarchic title is thus equivalent in use to the western Prince of the blood : " Daulatlu Najabatlu Shahzada Sultan " ( given name ) " Efendi Hazretleri " . For the Heir Apparent , however , the style was " Daulatlu Najabatlu Vali Ahad - i - Sultanat " ( given name ) " Efendi Hazretleri " ; i . e . Crown Prince of the Sultanate . In certain Muslim states , Sultan was also an aristocratic title , as in the Tartar Astrakhan Khanate . The " Valide Sultan " was the title reserved for the mother of the ruling sultan . In Ottoman Empire , the " Haseki Sultan " was the title reserved for the mother of the princes . Military rank . In a number of post - caliphal states under Mongol or Turkic rule , there was a feudal type of military hierarchy . These administrations were often decimal ( mainly in larger empires ) , using originally princely titles such as Khan , Malik , Amir as mere rank denominations . In the Persian empire , the rank of Sultan was roughly equivalent to that of a western Captain ; socially in the fifth rank class , styled ' Ali Jah .