Meaning & use
caliphate
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Meanings
nouncountablereligion
An Islamic state or empire governed by a caliph, who is regarded as the successor of the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the community.
Grammar: Countable: the Umayyad Caliphate, several caliphates.
Patterns
- the caliphate of somewhere
- the something Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate ruled from Baghdad for centuries.
Cordoba became the capital of a powerful caliphate in Spain.
The caliphate stretched from Spain to Central Asia at its height.
nouncountablereligion
The office, rank or period of rule of a caliph.
Grammar: Often used with a possessive: during the caliphate of Umar.
Patterns
- during the caliphate of someone
Many reforms happened during the caliphate of Umar.
His caliphate lasted only a few turbulent years.
Historians still debate the early caliphate and who should have held it.
Word forms
| plural | caliphates |
|---|
Common combinations
- Abbasid Caliphate
- The Abbasid Caliphate was a center of science and learning.
- establish a caliphate
- The group claimed it wanted to establish a caliphate.
- rule of the caliphate
- Trade thrived under the rule of the caliphate.
- fall of the caliphate
- The fall of the caliphate changed the region's politics.
- caliphate of Cordoba
- The caliphate of Cordoba was known for its libraries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sultanate
- A sultanate is ruled by a sultan, who usually governs a particular region and may owe loyalty to a higher caliph.
- emirate
- An emirate is a smaller territory ruled by an emir, so it is narrower than a caliphate.
- empire
- Empire is a general word for a large state ruled from one center, with no religious meaning built in.
- imamate
- An imamate is a state led by an imam in some Islamic traditions, while a caliphate follows the caliph.
Word family
- caliph noun
- the ruler of a caliphate
- caliphates noun
- plural form
- caliphal adjective
- relating to a caliph or caliphate
- khalifa noun
- the Arabic form of the title caliph
Commonly confused: caliphate or sultanate?
caliphate vs sultanate
A sultanate is ruled by a sultan, not a caliph, and the two titles refer to different kinds of leadership.
Practice
A caliphate is best described as:
Choose one answer.
A caliphate is a state governed by a caliph. A sultanate is ruled by a sultan, which is the closest and most tempting wrong option.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “caliphate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.