Khan (redirected from khanate)

khan

Historically, the ruler or monarch of a Mongol tribe. Early on a distinction was made between the title of khan and that of khakan, or “great khan.” Later the term khan was adopted by the Seljuq and Khwarezm-Shah dynasties as a title for the highest nobility. Gradually it became an affix to the name of any Muslim property owner. Today it is often used as a surname.

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khan

1. 

a. (formerly) a title borne by medieval Chinese emperors and Mongol and Turkic rulers: usually added to a name

b. such a ruler

2. a title of respect borne by important personages in Afghanistan and central Asia

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caravansary, caravanserai

interior of a caravansary

1.In the middle east, a building or inn for the overnight lodging of travelers by caravan; usually enclosed by a solid wall and entered through a large gate.

2. By extension, any large inn or hotel.

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Khan 

a Turkic and Mongol title. It was first used to designate the chief of a tribe—for example, among the nomads of Persia and Afghanistan. “Khan” became a princely title under the Seljuks and the Khwarazm-Shahs. A khan was the ruler of an ulus (Tatar settlement) in the 13th- and 14th-century Mongolian Empire; it was the title given to the sultan in the Ottoman Empire, and to the sovereigns of the various states formed after the breakup of the Mongolian Empire. In Persia, under the Safavids, a khan was the ruler of a province; “khan” was also one of the titles of the feudal military elite.