Mukhtar (also spelled Muktar, /ˈmÊŠktÉ‘Ër/) meaning "chosen" in Arabic: المختار‎‎, is the head of a village or mahalle (neighbourhood) in many Arab countries as well as in Turkey and Cyprus. The name is given because mukhtars are usually selected by some consensual or participatory method, often involving an election.
Etymology. The term bakhtiari can be best translated as "companion of fortune" or "bearer of good luck" The term has deep Persian roots and is the result of two smaller words bakht and yar complied together . Bakht is the Persian word for "fortune" and yar, iar, iari literally means "companion".
