Shal

Shal (Persian:شال‎‎) (Tati: چال, Čâl) is a city in and the capital of Shal District, in Buin Zahra County, Qazvin Province, Iran. At the 2006 census its population was 15,104, in 3,348 families. The language of the people in the Shal is Tati. Traditionally, the inhabitants have been employed in agriculture and farming. Grapes, which are processed to sun-dried raisins, are the main agricultural product. Also farming and sheep keeping have been a very important income source for the people in this region. Especially, Shal sheep are very famous among Iranian farmers. However, sheep farming and the cultivation of grapes have lost importance compared to brick production.