Strength Training And Spirituality Mix, In Iran

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TEHRAN (Reuters) - (Video) For the men who practice it, it's about not just fitness but a connection with God. Zurkhaneh, an ancient Persian sporting ritual whose name means "House of Strength", is a historic breeding ground for wrestlers in Iran, and now enjoying something of a comeback. It looks to a Western eye like an exotic mixture of body-building and aerobics. But for the men whirling like dervishes to frenetic drumbeats, juggling heavy wooden clubs and doing push-ups in the pit of a "House of Strength" in northern Tehran, the ritual is about much more. "It is a holy thing," said Nader Ghasemi, wearing traditional embroidered trousers with a German Bayern Munich soccer shirt. "It makes me feel close to God," said Ghasemi, preparing to step into the octagonal pit at the center of the hall to perform a series of coordinated routines together with about 20 others.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - For the men who practice it, it's about not just fitness but a connection with God.


Zurkhaneh, an ancient Persian sporting ritual whose name means "House of Strength", is a historic breeding ground for wrestlers in Iran, and now enjoying something of a comeback.


It looks to a Western eye like an exotic mixture of body-building and aerobics. But for the men whirling like dervishes to frenetic drumbeats, juggling heavy wooden clubs and doing push-ups in the pit of a "House of Strength" in northern Tehran, the ritual is about much more.


"It is a holy thing," said Nader Ghasemi, wearing traditional embroidered trousers with a German Bayern Munich soccer shirt.


"It makes me feel close to God," said Ghasemi, preparing to step into the octagonal pit at the center of the hall to perform a series of coordinated routines together with about 20 others.


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Some say Zurkhaneh helped to inspire wrestling in Iran -- a sport where it has international standing and can put aside its differences with its arch-foe, the United States.


About 20 American athletes and their coaches came to Iran for a wrestling competition last January. In April, the State Department said Iranian wrestlers had been invited to train in the United States for the 2008 Olympics, as part of efforts to increase ties with the Iranian people.


But by comparison with Zurkhaneh, wrestling is prosaic. Images of Muslim religious leaders and pre-Islamic mythological heroes -- as well as old photographs of bare-chested champions -- adorned the walls of the "House of Strength".


A drummer chanted poems written centuries ago.


At 33, Ghasemi was one of the evening's younger participants, an indication that Iran's soccer-mad young men are not easily drawn to the ancient ritual.


But spectator Parviz Tamani said that, although it had suffered in popularity since its heyday in 19th-century Persia, Zurkhaneh was coming back to life.


"People like to revive old historical traditions and to keep them alive," said the 68-year-old, who practised the sport when he was young. "This is special, it goes back thousands of years."


BODY AND SOUL


As he spoke, the athletes -- ranging from two young boys accompanying their father to burly men in their 70s -- did push-ups, whirled with outstretched arms in a seeming trance, and swung clubs weighing up to 15 kg over their shoulders or into the air.


Enthusiasts say the practice, also present in neighboring countries, is as much about seeking purity and becoming a good person who helps those in need as about physical prowess.


"Most sports have as a goal to build your body. But this sport builds both the body and the spirit," said Alireza Saffarzadeh of Iran's traditional sports federation.


Its enduring appeal nonetheless underlines Iran's passion for sports based on body strength.


Weightlifter and Olympic gold medalist Hossein Reza Zadeh, the "Iranian Hercules", is one of the country's biggest celebrities. Last December a retired wrestler was voted onto Tehran's city council, defeating more established politicians.


Zurkhaneh also plays a social role, with men coming to the gymnasium to chat over tea before the event starts.


Women are not involved in the discipline, said to have its roots in military training long before the 7th-century Arab invasion of what is now Iran.


Iran's dominant religion, Shi'ite Islam, has since become a key element of the ritual, and the hall itself looks a shrine.


Sayings by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late founding father of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, are on display as are depictions of Imam Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad and revered by Shi'ites.


WRESTLING CHAMPIONS


A black-turbaned cleric was a special guest at this training session in one of Tehran's dozens of Zurkhaneh halls, which lasted for about two hours and ended with prayers.


On this occasion there was no physical contact, but every now and then wrestling-like competitions are held in the pit.


"Most Iranian wrestling champions come from Zurkhaneh," said Mostafa Tajiki, who competed in the 1960 Rome Olympics.


The 77-year-old, who still trains twice a week, said that in his time the Zurkhaneh was the only athletics club on offer: "It was the center of Iranian sports."


On the wall behind him, a black-and-white photograph from the 1950s showed him as a muscular and moustached young national wrestling champion.


"We now have young, talented wrestlers and we hope to see good results in next year's Olympics in Beijing," he said.


© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.


This video shows a brief example of "Zurkhaneh" training: