''Kalantar'' () was a term which referred to the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
in charge of a town in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
. By the end of the 19th century, other authorities who represented new systems of governance had largely replaced the ''kalantar's'' position. Members of
Bakhtiari and
Qashqai tribes still use the term to refer to the leaders of their respective tribal divisions.
In
Safavid Iran
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often consi ...
, the ''kalantar'' of the
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
community in
New Julfa
New Julfa ( fa, نو جلفا – ''Now Jolfā'', – ''Jolfâ-ye Now''; hy, Նոր Ջուղա – ''Nor Jugha'') is the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, Iran, located along the south bank of the Zayande River.
Established and named after the old ...
was a significant and influential figure. Usually of Armenian stock, his duties were comparable to those of a ''kalantar'' in other towns or districts. In the 17th and 18th centuries,
Safavid Georgia
The province of Georgia () was a '' velayat'' (province) of the Safavid Empire located in the area of present-day Georgia. The territory of the province was principally made up of the two subordinate eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kartli ( fa, ک� ...
also had a well-known official called the ''kalantar'', whose duties appear to have broadly matched those of the ''kalantar'' in towns of mainland Iran.
The word is related to Persian ''kalān'', which means "big, great".
References
Sources
*
* {{EI2, last=Lambton, first=A.K.S., volume=4, title=Kalāntar, url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/kalantar-SIM_3811
Titles in Iran
Persian words and phrases
Government of Safavid Iran
Government of Qajar Iran