Sportsmen of Varzesh-e bāstāni in traditional costume, Iran

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Sportsmen of Varzesh-e bāstāni in traditional costume, Iran
Sportsmen of Varzesh-e bāstāni in traditional costume, Iran
Artist/Maker (French-Hungarian, 1906 – 2003)
Date1959
MediumVintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print
DimensionsSheet: 11 3/4 × 9 1/4 in. (29.8 × 23.5 cm) Image: 11 3/4 × 9 1/4 in. (29.8 × 23.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Thomas J. Wilson and Jill M. Garling, P2016
Object number2024.21.13
Not on view
DescriptionPahlevani and zourkhaneh rituals is the name inscribed by UNESCO for varzesh-e bāstāni ("heroic sport") or varzesh-e bāstāni ("ancient sport"), a traditional system of athletics originally used to train warriors in Iran (Persia) and adjacent lands. It combines martial arts, calisthenics, strength training and music. Recognized by UNESCO as the world's longest-running form of such training, 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 zurkh?neh, training sessions consist mainly of ritual gymnastic movements and climax with the core of combat practice, a form of submission-grappling called koshti pahlavāni.
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Additional Details

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Verso, center (pencil): "9"
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