Khalkhal (Persian: خلخال, romanized: Khalkhāl), formerly and locally known as Herowabad (Azerbaijani: هیرو, romanized: Hirow and Persian: هروآباد)[3] 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]
Khalkhal
Persian: خلخال Azerbaijani: هیرو • Hirow | |
---|---|
City | |
Khalkhal | |
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 |
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]