Khatun (Persian: خاتون – Khātūn, Turkish: Hatun) is a female title of nobility and alternative to male "khan" prominently used in the First Turkic Empire and in the subsequent Mongol Empire. It is equivalent to "queen" or "empress" approximately.
Before the advent of Islam in Central Asia, Khatun was the title of the Queen of Bukhara. According to the Encyclopaedia of Islam:
“ | Khatun a title of Sogdian origin borne by the wives and female relatives of the T'u-chüeh and subsequent Turkish rulers. | ” |
Сlauson considers "xa:tun" as borrowed from Sogdian "xwat'yn" (xwateen), in Sogdian xwat'y ('landlord, sovereign') and "xwat'yn" ('a landlord's or a sovereign's wife'); it is the precise wife'; it is the precise meaning of "xat:un" in the early period; cf. Pers.
Read more about Khatun: Notable Khatuns
Main Site Subjects
Related Phrases
Related Words