Shah is a title given to the emperors, kings, princes and lords of Iran. It was also adopted by the kings of Shirvan namely the Shirvanshahs, and Khwarazmshahs. It was also used by Persianate societies such as the rulers and offspring of the Ottoman Empire, Mughal India, Bengal Sultanate, Gorkha, and Afghanistan. In Iran the title was continuously used; rather than King in the European sense, each Iranian ruler regarded himself as the Shahanshah or Padishah of the Persian Empire.
