Chalus () is a city in the Central District of

Chalus County Chalus County () is in Mazandaran province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Chalus. History After the 2006 National Census, Kelardasht-e Gharbi Rural District was created in Kelardasht District, and Birun Bashm and Kuhestan Rural Dist ...

Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...

province,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, serving as capital of both the county and the district.

History

In the past and under

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

influence, Chalus was called "Salus" or "Shalus". It has a long history of rebellions and clashes with regional rulers or occupying foreign forces. Chalus used to have a large silk factory that was active from 1936 to 1958, and exported fabrics and other silk products to different countries. Chalus is part of the Kelarestaq area of

Ruyan (Tabaristan) Ruyan (), later known as Rustamdar (), was a mountainous district that encompassed the western part of Tabaristan/Mazandaran, a region on the Caspian Sea, Caspian coast of northern Iran. In Persian mythology, Iranian mythology, Ruyan appears as ...

. Ruyan was an ancient land in the west of

Mazandaran province Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is bordered clockw ...

during the

Baduspanids The Baduspanids, Paduspanids or Badusbanids (), were a local Iranian dynasty of Tabaristan which ruled over Ruyan/Rustamdar. The dynasty was established in 665, and with 933 years of rule as the longest dynasty in Iran, it ended in 1598 when th ...

era. This land includes

Kojur Kojur () is a city in Kojur District of Nowshahr County, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as the administrative center for Tavabe-ye Kojur Rural District. The city was founded by the Paduspanid ruler Eskandar II Jalal al-Dawla Iskandar ...

, Kelarestaq and

Tonekabon Tonekabon () is a city in the Central District of Tonekabon County, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Etymology Toneka was a large and fortress-like city with a fence and a hard and stron ...

. The city of Kojur was the centre of the land of the Ruyans. Ruyan has always been part of the

Tabaristan Tabaristan or Tabarestan (; ; from , ), was a mountainous region located on the Caspian coast of northern Iran. It corresponded to the present-day province of Mazandaran, which became the predominant name of the area from the 11th-century onward ...

, nowadays called Mazandaran province. The Ruyan was also called the Rostamdār, Ostandār and Rostamdele.

Demographics

Language

The people residing in Chalus speak western dialect of

Mazanderani language Mazandarani (Mazanderani: , ''Mazeruni''; also spelled Mazani () or Tabari (); also called Taveri, Mazeruni, Tati, Geleki and Galeshi) is an Iranian language of the Northwestern Iranian languages, Northwestern branch spoken by the Mazanderani pe ...

. In the west of chalus, the Kalarestaqi dialect is spoken, and in the east of chalus, people speak in Kojuri dialect. Mazandarani people have a background in Tabari ethnicity and speak Mazandarni. Their origin goes back to Tapuri people. So their land was called Tapuria, the land of Tapuris. Tapuris were made to migrate to the south coast of the Caspian Sea during the Achaemenid dynasty. The native people of

Sari A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-sti ...

, shahi,

babol Babol (; Mazandarani: ), famously known as the City of Orange Blossoms and the Global City of Wetlands, is the capital city of Babol County. This city, which was the center of Mazandaran during the Zand dynasty era, now serves as the telec ...

Amol Amol ( ; ) is a city in the Central District (Amol County), Central District of Amol County, Mazandaran province, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Amol is located on the Haraz River bank. It is ...

, Nowshahr, Chalus, and

are Mazandarani people and speak the Mazandarani language. The eastern Gilaki is spoken in the entire valley of the Čālūs river, though some Kurdish tribes were established in the yeylāq of Kojūr and Kalārdašt in the Qajar period.

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 44,618 in 12,791 households. The following census in 2011 counted 47,881 people in 15,077 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 65,196 people in 22,166 households.

Geography

The city is in the

in northern

. The bordering counties are

Noshahr Nowshahr () is a city in the Central District of Nowshahr County, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is a port city on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. History Ruyan is a region in th ...

to the east,

to the west in

province and

Tehran province Tehran province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Tehran. Tehran province covers an area of and is located to the north of the central plateau of Iran. It was made a part of the First Region with its secretar ...

to the south. It sits on the

Chalus River The Chalus River (), or Chalus Rud, is a major river located in central−northern Iran. It originates in the Kandovan and Taleghan mountains and passes through the city of Chalus in Mazandaran province. The river flows northward through the Ce ...

by the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

Climate

Chalus has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa'', Trewartha: ''Cf''), with warm, humid summers and cool, damp winters.

Tourism

Chalus is a major vacation destination for Iranians during holidays for its nice weather and natural attractions. One of the great attractions of Chalus is the mountainous road leading to Chalus, widely known as Chalus Road. This city has a reputation for a number of villages, one of which is called Namakab Rud. This town offers a variety of different entertaining activities, such as a cable car, offering a view of the surrounding mountains. Gole Sorkhi, Mohavateh Kaakh (The Palace), Chalus Mahalleh, Radio Darya, Dahgiri, Sheykh Ghotb are among the most notable neighborhoods of Chalus. The

Taliesin Associated Architects Taliesin Associated Architects was an architectural firm founded by apprentices of Frank Lloyd Wright to carry on his architectural vision after his death in 1959. The firm disbanded in 2003. It was headquartered at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, ...

(Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation) had three buildings built in Iran, one of which was the summer residence of

Shams Pahlavi Shams Pahlavi (; – ) was an Iranian royal of the Pahlavi dynasty, who was the elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. During her brother's reign she was the president of the Red Lion and Sun Society. Biography Princ ...

known as Mehrafarin Palace in Chalus (presently occupied by the local police).

Notes

References

{{Chalus County, state=collapsed Populated places in Chalus County Cities in Mazandaran province Populated places on the Caspian Sea