Khalkhal
Persian: خلخال
Azerbaijani: هیرو • Hirow | |
---|---|
City | |
Coordinates: 37°36′53″N 48°31′53″E / 37.61472°N 48.53139°E [1] | |
Country | Iran |
Province | Ardabil |
County | Khalkhal |
District | Central |
Population (2016)
[2] | |
• Total | 39,304 |
Time zone | UTC+3:30 ( IRST) |
Website |
www |
Khalkhal, Iran at GEOnet Names Server |
Khalkhal ( Persian: خلخال) [a] is a city in the Central District of Khalkhal County, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. [4] The majority of population speaks Azeri.[ citation needed]
At the 2006 census, its population was 38,521 in 9,619 households. [5] The following census in 2011 counted 41,165 people in 11,213 households. [6] The 2016 census showed a population of 39,304 people in 11,501 households. [2]
According to Vladimir Minorsky, the name Khalkhāl may indicate a connection with the ancient Kharkhar kingdom, which existed somewhere in the eastern Zagros Mountains in Neo-Assyrian times. [7]: 62
The 14th-century author Hamdallah Mustawfi listed Khalkhal in his Nuzhat al-Qulub as forming part of the tuman of Ardabil. [8] He described it as "formerly a fair-sized town" that had declined to a mere village by his time. [8] He wrote that Khalkhal had succeeded the earlier city of Firuzabad as the capital of its province after Firuzabad itself had declined. [8] Mustawfi wrote that the Khalkhal province comprised about 100 villages and had four districts: Khāmidah-Bīl, Sajasrūd, Anjīlābād, and Mīsjīn. [8] It was assessed for a tax value of 30,000 dinars. [8] Water from a spring on a nearby mountain powered two watermills, which provided enough irrigation for the surrounding fields. [8] Mustawfi said its pastures were "excellent" and hunting grounds were "numerous and well-stocked with game" and wrote that the district was known for producing yogurt (māst) that was "so thick it has to be cut with a knife, as though it were cheese". [8]