Khalkhal
Persian: خلخال
Persian: هیرو • Hirow
City
City view
City view
Khalkhal is located in Iran
Khalkhal
Khalkhal
Coordinates: 37°37′38″N 48°31′48″E / 37.62722°N 48.53000°E / 37.62722; 48.53000[1]
Country Iran
ProvinceArdabil
CountyKhalkhal
DistrictCentral
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total39,304
Time zoneUTC+3:30 (IRST)
Websitewww.khalkhalim.com
Khalkhal, Iran at GEOnet Names Server

Khalkhal (Persian: خلخال, romanized: Khalkhāl), formerly and locally known as Herowabad (Azerbaijani: هیرو, romanized: Hirow; Persian: هروآباد)[3] is a city in the Central District of Khalkhal County, Ardabil province, Iran, and serves as capital of the county. The majority of population speaks Azeri.[citation needed]

At the 2006 census, its population was 38,521 in 9,619 households.[4] The following census in 2011 counted 41,165 people in 11,213 households.[5] The 2016 census showed a population of 39,304 people in 11,501 households.[2]

Etymology and history

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.[6]: 62 

The 14th-century author Hamdallah Mustawfi listed Khalkhal in his Nuzhat al-Qulub as forming part of the tuman of Ardabil.[7] He described it as "formerly a fair-sized town" that had declined to a mere village by his time.[7] He wrote that Khalkhal had succeeded the earlier city of Firuzabad as the capital of its province after Firuzabad itself had declined.[7] Mustawfi wrote that the Khalkhal province comprised about 100 villages and had four districts: Khāmidah-Bīl, Sajasrūd, Anjīlābād, and Mīsjīn.[7] It was assessed for a tax value of 30,000 dinars.[7] Water from a spring on a nearby mountain powered two watermills, which provided enough irrigation for the surrounding fields.[7] 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".[7]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Khalkhal.

References

  1. ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (27 March 2023). "Khalkhal, Khalkhal County" (Map). OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016)". AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 24. Archived from the original (Excel) on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  3. ^ Khalkhal, Iran can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3070479" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
  4. ^ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006)". AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 24. Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011)". Syracuse University (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 24. Archived from the original (Excel) on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  6. ^ Minorsky, Vladimir (1957). "Mongol Place-Names in Mukri Kurdistan". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 19 (1): 58–81. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Hamdallah Mustawfi (1919). Le Strange, Guy (ed.). The Geographical Part of the Nuzhat-al-Qulub. p. 84. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
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