head of a dictrict (quarter)/village

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Note added at 4 mins (2005-03-10 15:22:38 GMT)
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dictrict = district

the elected head of a neighbourhood executive officer of a district/village

headman , elder of a village. This person is generally a government official. Can also be a government official in a neighborhood in a town or city. Generally the highest ranking official at the neighborhood local level in Turkey, he or she is responsible for government activity at this local level.

as a noun, muhtar or muhktar (as OED spells it) is the headman of
(1) a village; or
(2) a district/neighbourhood

According to Oxford Dictionary of English
mukhtar
noun
(in Turkey and some Arab countries) the head of local government of a town or village.

However, as an adjective 'muhtar' means autonomous.

I suppose, as for your question, the term was used in the first meaning as a noun, meaning a person elected by the local people during the local elections and is authorised, inter alia, to issue copies of some official papers, e.g. ID Card, certificate of demicile, etc.

HTH

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Note added at 5 hrs 17 mins (2005-03-10 20:35:11 GMT)
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read \'certificate of domicile\'

This is one of many possibilities. If the asker is looking for an English equivalent, then "mukhtar" is correct. With this spelling, it is accepted as an English word, although it is very obscure. Here is one definition the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) offers for "mukhtar":

2. Originally in the late Ottoman Empire and subsequently in Turkey and certain other successor states: the headman or local government chief of a town, district, village, or tribe. Also: a minor provincial official.

The spelling "muhtar" does not have an entry in the OED. One of the examples cited does use this spelling, but it is italicized, which is the standard way of indicating that a word is not English. Thus, either mukhtar (not in italics) or muhtar (in italics) would be acceptable. Translations such as "district head" would also work as long as they fit the context.

With regard to the difference in meaning (headman as opposed to autonomous), the word was originally an Arabic participle from the verb "to choose" (the verbal noun is "ikhtiyar," as in Turkish gayri ihtiyari). Ordinarily, active and passive participles are distinct in Arabic, but because this is a special form of a hollow verb, the distinction is obscured. Thus mukhtar means both "one who chooses" and "one who is chosen." The headman sense comes from the passive participle, since he is chosen (ie, elected). The autonomous sense is, of course, from the active participle (ie, free to choose).

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Note added at 1 day 8 hrs 20 mins (2005-03-11 23:38:11 GMT)
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If two men hold the same position, should we call the one in Gaziantep a muhtar and the one in Damascus a mukhtar? Do you hear the ezan in Istanbul and the azan in Cairo?

I would point out, however, that mukhtar, though correct, is probably a bad choice for a translation. Most of the others would be better, or Turkish \'muhtar\' in italics.

Meaning of the word: in the dictionaries:

Muhtar => head man, elder (of a quarter or village)

Source: New Redhouse Turkish – English Dictionary


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Note added at 2 days 14 hrs 15 mins (2005-03-13 05:33:07 GMT)
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Sayın Yeğit, sağol da, bayan muhtar olursa ne olacak?
Ben, muhtar için \"elderman\" diyen sözlüğe reatlamadım. Sözlük ismini verirseniz memnun olurum.