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A widespread Arabic unit of mass, originally indicating 100 of some smaller unit; in Egypt 100 rotls, in Morocco 
, 100 kilograms. Like the English word “century,” it descends from the Latin word for hundred. Also romanized as guntar and kanthar. Some values:
| Cyprus | about 55.882 kilograms (about 123.2 pounds).1
= 44 okes
Technical Conversion Factors3, page 142, says the same. |
|
| Aleppo kantar | for carobs. ? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 228.6 kilograms (about 504.0 pounds).1,3 = 180 okes. | |
| Egypt | Guillame says the customs kantar (or cantaro) = 100 rotls, 99.0492 lb av., 45 kg of cotton, 44.5 kg of other produce. | |
| Jordan | Nabulsi | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 228.5 kg (about 636.0 lbs).¹ = 225 okka. |
| Shami | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 256.4 kg (about 565.3 lbs).¹ = 200 okka | |
| Lebanon | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 256.4 kg (about 565.3 lbs).¹ = 100 rottol | |
| Libya | Cyrenaica | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 64.10 kg (about 141.3 lbs).¹ = 50 oke |
| Tripolitania | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 51.28 kg (about 113.1 lbs).¹ = 40 oke | |
| Morocco | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, = 100 kg (about 220.5 lbs).¹ | |
| Saudi Arabia | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 51.347 kg (about 113.2 lbs).¹ | |
around 1920, 49.92 kg  |
||
| Sudan |
? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 44.928 kg, about 99.05 pounds.¹ = 100 artal. Technical Conversion Factors3 gives 44.93 kg. Amery gives the same value and adds “= 8 tumna = 100 ratls = 36 uggas”.² |
|
| large kantar or kantar of Alexandria |
at least as early as the 19ᵗʰ – 20ᵗʰ
century, 141.523 kg (312 lbs).¹
= 315 artal. Technical Conversion Factors3 gives 141.52 kg. Amery says 139.77 kg (about 308.15 lbs), and = 112 uggas.² |
|
Syria |
Aleppo and Homs | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 320.5 kg (about 706.6 lbs).¹ |
| Damascus | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, about 256.4 kg (about 565.3 lbs).¹ = 200 oke | |
| Tunis | the cartar, ? – 20ᵗʰ century,
= 100 rottel, about 50.39 kg Technical Conversion Factors…, 1972, page 326. |
|
| Turkey | about 56.45 kg (about 124.5 lbs).¹ = 44
okka. Under the 1881 decimalization law, the kantar was 128.3 kg, = 100 ock. |
|
| United Arab Republic | ? – 20ᵗʰ century, 44.928 kg (99.05 lbs).¹ | |
1. United Nations, 1966.
2. H[arald] F[rançois] S[aphir] Amery.
English-Arabic Vocabulary for the Use of Officials of the Anglo-Egyptian
Sudan, compiled in the Intelligence Department of the Egyptian Army.
Cairo: Al-Mokattam Printing Office, 1905.
3. Technical Conversion Factors..., 1972.
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Last revised: 8 October 2010.
