Mukhtar (status)

Mukhtar ( Arabic: مختار chosen one) is a village or quarter headman in some Arab countries, in Turkey and Cyprus . Usually elected by the population. Today has the authority of a municipal employee. In some cases, the term is used as a name or nickname (see Mukhtar ).

In the Ottoman Empire, the post of Mukhtar was introduced in 1864. The post was introduced in order to weaken the role of the sheikhs and strengthen their position. In villages where several clans ( hamul ) lived, there could be several (up to 11) muhtars, which were either elected or appointed by the authorities.

During the British mandate in Palestine, English abolished the status of mukhtar ^[1] , however, even today in some villages (where there is no municipal council), mukhtar is considered the head of the village. ^[2]