Pounel (Poonel or Punel) is a village of 2,300 inhabitants in Rezvanshahr County, Gilan Province, Iran. Khalkhal lies in the eastern part of the historical Azerbaijan plateau and with a population of 38,521 (2006), is the capital of Khalkhal County, in Ardabil Province.

The main ethnic groups living in Khalkhal are Azeris (95%), followed by Talishs and Tats (3%), Kurds (1%) and Persians (1%).

The road from Pounel to Khalkhal has wonderful sights that can be enjoyed by car. If you like hiking, you can visit Ardeh, a village thirty kilometers from Pounel, with beautiful hiking trails.

Sources: IRNA, Instagram, Panoramio | Alireza Jahaveri, Panoramio | Ali Memari, Panoramio | Peyman Azimi, Wikipedia | Punel, Wkipedia | Khalkhal, Iran Travel Information Forum