A sultanate (4)
I believe the answer is:
oman
'a sultanate' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for oman that I've seen before include "monarchy" , "Muscat's country" , "Arabian peninsula country" , "Sultanate, capital Muscat" , "Sultanate on the south-east coast of the Arabian Peninsula" .)