Sultana or sultanah (/sʌlˈtɑːnə/; Arabic: سلطانة sulṭāna) is a female royal title, and the feminine form of the word sultan.
The term sultana is the feminine form of the word sultan (Arabic: سلطان), an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun سلطة sulṭah, meaning "authority" or "power".
In Samudera Pasai Sultanate (now part of Indonesia), Sultana Ratu Nahrasyiyah (r. 1406–1428) became the sole ruler.
Between 1914 and 1922, monarchs of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty used the title of Sultan of Egypt, and their wives were legally styled as sultanas.
[5][6] Although several sources assert that she took the title of sultana,[7] The Cambridge History of Islam disputes the claim, stating that "a feminine form, sultana, does not exist in Arabic: the title sulṭān appears on Shajar al-Durr's only extant coin.
"[11] Like Shajar al-Durr, Raziya was also often referred as sultana by westerners, very possibly to distinguish her from male sultans.
Shahbanu, title for the wife of Iran's monarch, is derived from Persian shah (شاه, equivalent with "king") and banu (بانو, translated as "lady").
Some Muslim monarchs also used the title malika (Arabic: ملكة), a feminine form of the word malik, for their wives.
[12] Nevertheless, westerners often translated their official title, sultan, to sultana, possibly to distinguish them from the Ottoman ruler.