1. (

• Caliphate

) the era of Islam's ascendancy from the death of Mohammed until the 13th century; some Moslems still maintain that the Moslem world must always have a calif as head of the community; "their goal was to reestablish the Caliphate" ;

2. (

• caliphate

) the territorial jurisdiction of a caliph ;

3. (

• caliphate

) the office of a caliph ;