Talesh County is in Gilan province, in northwestern Iran. Its capital is the city of Tālesh (also known as Hashtpar).

History

The Talysh peoples are, as archaeological studies show, one of the oldest inhabitants of the western littoral Caspian Sea areas, which stretches from Dagestan in the north, to Iran in the south. The Talysh have lived in what are known as "Talysh land" for millennia, and are amongst the native inhabitants of what is today Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan. There is a belief amongst scholars, as well as by the Talysh themselves who generally identify with the Cadusii, that the ancient Cadusii are the ancestor of the today's Talysh. The lands of the Talesh were much larger than the present day area. In olden times the geographical areas of the Talysh people was more than 10,000 km2. At present the Taleshan live in Gilan Province, and some cities in Ardabil Province (Iran) and southeastern Azarbaijan. The territory of Talesh County was a part of the Karganrud Khanate. After the Russo-Persian War, in order to weaken the influence of Mir Mostafa Khan, Fath 'Ali Shah divided the region among 5 local families, creating the Khamsa of Talesh.

Demographics

Languages

Generally speaking, the land of Talesh has been divided in three regions: Gaskarat (Masalli, Taskoh, Shanderman, Rezvashar, Hashtpar, Asalem, Astara); Foumanat (Fouman, Masoleh, and Shaft); and Azerbaijan Taloshian (Lankaran amongst others). In Gaskarat, the majority of people speak Taleshi and Farsi. In Foumanat, most speak Taleshi. Lastly, Talysh from neighboring Azerbaijan are often bilingual and trilingual, consisting of Taleshi, Azeri and Russian speakers. Gilaki and Taleshi are rapidly losing ground in many cities of Tavalesh due to heavy immigration of people from Azerbaijan.

Ethnicities

Sir Arnold Wilson wrote:

Religion

Talesh people at present are Sunni and Shia Muslims. Most of the southern and central Taleshian are Shia, and northern Taleshian are composed of both Shia and Sunni.

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the county's population was 179,499 in 42,949 households. The following census in 2011 counted 189,933 people in 52,989 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the county as 200,649 in 61,055 households.

Administrative divisions

Talesh County's population history and administrative structure over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.

Geography

Talesh is located on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea. Talesh County, covering an area of 2373 square kilometers, is ¼ of surface area of Gilan Province. Talesh County has inland scenic areas in the Alborz mountain range, with intact natural habitats that are places for appreciating nature.

Agriculture

Rice has been cultivated in this region for many years, where some indigenous cultivars (landrace) were conventionally bred by farmers.

Historical monuments and natural sites