Shah (; Persian: شاه‎, Šāh, pronounced "king") is a title given to the emperors, kings, princes and lords of Iran (historically known as Persia in the West). It was also adopted by the kings of Shirvan (a historical Iranian region in Transcaucasia) namely the Shirvanshahs. It was also used by Persianate societies such as the rulers and offspring of the Ottoman Empire (spelled as Şah and Şeh in the modern Turkish language), Mughal emperors of the Indian Subcontinent, the Bengal Sultanate, as well as in Afghanistan. In Iran (and the Greater Iran region) the title was continuously used; rather than King in the European sense, each Persian ruler regarded himself as the Shahanshah (Persian: شاهنشاه‎, Šāhanšāh, "King of Kings") or Padishah (Persian: پادشاه‎, Pādešāh, "Master King") of the Persian Empire.