Khalkhal () is a city in the
Central District of
Khalkhal County,
Ardabil
Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
The ...
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.
Demographics
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 38,521 in 9,619 households.
The following census in 2011 counted 41,165 people in 11,213 households.
The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 39,304 people in 11,501 households.
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
The Zagros Mountains are a mountain range in Iran, northern Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. The mountain range has a total length of . The Zagros range begins in northwestern Iran and roughly follows Iran's western border while covering much of s ...
in
Neo-Assyrian times.
The 14th-century author
Hamdallah Mustawfi listed Khalkhal in his ''
Nuzhat al-Qulub'' as forming part of the ''
tuman'' of
Ardabil
Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
The ...
.
He described it as "formerly a fair-sized town" that had declined to a mere village by his time.
He wrote that Khalkhal had succeeded the earlier city of Firuzabad as the capital of its province after Firuzabad itself had declined.
Mustawfi wrote that the Khalkhal province comprised about 100 villages and had four districts: Khāmidah-Bīl, Sajasrūd, Anjīlābād, and Mīsjīn.
It was assessed for a tax value of 30,000
dinar
The dinar () is the name of the principal currency unit in several countries near the Mediterranean Sea, with a more widespread historical use. The English word "dinar" is the transliteration of the Arabic دينار (''dīnār''), which was bor ...
s.
Water from a spring on a nearby mountain powered two watermills, which provided enough irrigation for the surrounding fields.
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
Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...
(''māst'') that was "so thick it has to be cut with a knife, as though it were cheese".
See also
*
Lerd Village
*
Khalkhal Khanate
The Khalkhal Khanate () was an 18th-19th century khanate based in Khalkhal. Khanate of Khalkhal was one of the khanates of Azerbaijan (in Iran) which remained semi-independent for 62 years.
Founding
The khanate was founded by Qizilbash tribes ...
Notes
References
Cities in Ardabil province
Populated places in Khalkhal County
{{Khalkhal-geo-stub