In Tehran, men practise Varzesh-e Pahlavani or Zurkhaneh, a traditional system of athletics originally used to train warriors in Persia (Iran) that c

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In Tehran, men practise Varzesh-e Pahlavani or Zurkhaneh, a traditional system of athletics originally used to train warriors in Persia (Iran) that combines martial arts, strength training, wrestling and music. It fuses elements of pre-Islamic Persian culture (particularly Zoroastrianism, Mithraism and Gnosticism) with the spirituality of Shia Islam and sufism. Practiced in a domed structure called the zurkhāneh, training sessions consist mainly of ritual gymnastic movements.

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Photo credit: © Dani Salvá / VWPics / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: asia, athletics, faith, gym, gymnasium, indoor, iran, islam, men, muslim, pahlavani, persia, practise, shiite, strength, strong, system, tehran, traditional, training, varzesh-, zurkhaneh