(salṭana, pl. salṭanāt) An Arabic word derived from the root s-l-ṭ; it is a political office created by the Seljuk dynasty (1038–1194 CE), somewhat parallel to a kingdom in Western contexts; since then the Islamic world has witnessed the rise of numerous sultanates in Africa, Turkey, and India. Currently, there are only two sultanates, namely, Brunei and Oman.
