Talesh is a 200,000 inhabitants county in Gilan Province, Iran. Its capital, Hashtpar (also called Talesh), is situated 140 km north-west of Rasht, on the south-west coast of the Caspian Sea. The region, a mountainous area, outstands with its virgin ant intact nature.
Photos of the first snowfall in Talesh:
The Talysh are one of the oldest inhabitants of the western littoral Caspian Sea and are amongst the native inhabitants of today Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan.
Generally speaking, the land of Talesh has been divided in three regions: Gaskarat, Foumanat and Azerbaijan Taloshian. In Gaskarat, the majority of people speak Taleshi and/or Azeri, Farsi. In Foumanat, most speak Taleshi. Lastly, Talysh from neighboring Azerbaijan are often bilingual and trillingual, consisting of Taleshi, Azeri and Russian speakers. Taleshian people at present are mostly Sunni and Shia Muslims.
Sources: ISNA, Wikipedia | Talesh County