Sultan

A Sultan is a title which refers to the monarch of a kingdom or sovereign nation. It is a hereditary title used in the Arabic culture and is utilized in regions in the Middle East and parts of Northern Africa. The title of Sultan is generally held only by males and is passed down from father to son over the course of several dynasties. The region governed by a Sultan is called a Sultanate. Countries that have been ruled by Sultans include Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Oman. A fictional kingdom that had a Sultan is Agrabah as first seen in the 1992 Disney animated classic, Aladdin.

The kingdom of Agrabah was ruled by a kindly Sultan who was the father of Princess Jasmine. Despite being absolute ruler, the Sultan was still bound by the laws of his kingdom. One of these laws demanded that the daughter of the Sultan could only marry a prince. Should the Sultan not have any male offspring, the son-in-law would then inherit the title. The title of Sultan could also be taken by force or through mystical intervention. This was what happened when the Sultan's Grand Vizier, Jafar, took possession of a magic lamp, which gave him control over an all-powerful genie. For his first wish, Jafar had the genie make him Sultan of Agrabah. The title reverted to the previous Sultan after Jafar was defeated by Aladdin and the genie. After resuming his title, the Sultan decided to exercise his authority and abolished the law requiring the princess to marry a prince.