ورزش های زورخانه ای میراث معنوی ایرانیان

Iranians were the first nation in the world that attached great importance to their health, burly figure, and strength; they carried out body building exercises and trained their offspring to practice them.

Herodotus, the Greek historian says: “Iranians develop three habits in their five to twenty-year-old children, i.e. horse riding, archery, and truthfulness.” Spiritual and physical education has a long history starting from Medes to Achamenid era; the education system was so unique that there was no corresponding system throughout the eastern countries of that time.

    The traditional exercises in Zurkhaneh start with prayers said by the Murshed and come to an end with the utterance of the word “Amen” by the sportsmen and the attendants. The words used in prayers describe the special mentality, attitudes and beliefs of the sportsmen.

They join the Murshed and pray for the glory of the country and the health and happiness of its leader, respectability and endeannent of the sportsmen and the elders of the Zurkhaneh; God’s grace for the stray and erroneous so that they may turn to the path of righteousness; the powerful so that they may give help to the weak and the needy; the people beset by difficulties so that their problems may be solved; enhancement of fairness and good conduct among mankind and leave the pit in an organized manner.    
 
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   Kabbadeh is an iron device made in the shape of a bow, weighting between 7 and 10 kilograms. For skillful athletes in team events, it is 16 kilograms, measuring from one to one and a half meters in length.

 In place of the string, a rather big chain is fixed to the iron bar. When the athlete pulls the Kabbadeh from right to left above his head, the chains hnk against each other and against the iron bar, making a pleasant sound.

To use the Kabhadeh, the athlete holds the iron bar in his right hand, and the chain in his left hand. After kissing it, he goes on to move it from right to left and vice-versa. With the right ann stretched towards the right, the left fore-ann (with the arm bent) should form a horizontal line above the head of the athlete.

The reverse combination should be restored when the left hand is stretched towards the left. These movements are accompanied by the drum-beat and counting of the Murshed.

 Objectives of “Kabbadch Zadan”: To improve moral & ethical behavior. To strengthen the Shoulder girdle muscles, Triceps, Biceps, Trapezus, obliques abdominous & Gluteouse mediouse & muumouse. 
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   Whirlmg, a particular movement in the Zurkhaneh exercises, is one of the most graceflul and varied actions, having different styles with different stunts. To begin whirling, the athletes stand in a circle with their backs to the wall of the pit.

The youngest of all moves to the middle and starts turning, first rather slowly and then as fast as he can. Beside him, the second youngest engages in whirhng and then each of the athletes takes his turn, until the oldest brings to an end this particular round of action.

 While turning, the athlete stretches his anns right and left so that they form a straight line with his chest and shoulders in the middle. Accompanied by the sounds of chanting and drum-beating, the athletes whirl either in one spot, or, around the pit m different cycles.

Every athlete has his own style of turning which takes shape m accordance with the drum-beat It is of interest to know that the athletes, after whirling for as long as fifteen minutes, never feel dizzy or lose control. Each of them, at the end of his performance, stands facing the Murshed, bows to him and makes way for the next athlete.

Objectives of”Charkh Zadan”: To improve moral & ethical behavior. To improve neuromuscular coordination & Adaptation. To improve agility. To Improving Foot Anaerobic power.  
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 The athletes, after stretching warm up, start the skill of” Sang Gereftan” .The Sang consists of two rectangular-shaped pieces of hard wood each weighting between 20 - 40 kilograms (depending on the age of the athlete) , the dimensions bemg 70-80 cm m width and 100-110 cm in length.

A handle is fixed to the middle of each Sang so that the athletes, while laying on their backs and turning from side to side, can rise and lower in turn, one hand and then the other. At times, they lift both of them at once, but in either case the Sang (Shield) should not touch the floor.

Some athletes are strong and fit enough to do the Sang-lifting exercise up to 117 times. In tournaments for youth and adults, the standard is 72 times maximum in seven minutes. Sang lifting is not accompanied by the beating of the drum; rather, the Murshed (mentor) chants poems to excite the athletes to action.

Objectives of Sang Gereftan: To improve moral & ethical behavior. To improve the strength of the Deltoid & Pectorahs major & minor, Triceps, Trapezes, neck flexors & rectus abdominous muscles.

 

It was mentioned that Sardam is an elevated platform near the entrance of the Zurkhaneh. In area, it is about two or three square meters and is often built in the shape of a half-circle sofa raised as high as one meter from the floor.

 A number of sportsmanship symbols are usually hung on the wall behind the seatmg place of the exercise leaders.

These include a sword, a shield, a coat of anns, a helmet,a leopard skin, bell and chain, some feathers, a push-up board, an Indian club, a Kabbadeh, a Sang, a wool fez, a Dervish belt, a battle- axe, a Kashkul (large cub suspended by a chain that is carried by a Dervish).

A bell suspended from a chain is used by the Murshed (leader) to signal both the beginning and end of various athletic exercises and to announce the entry of dignitaries and distinguished sportsmen to the Zurkhaneh.

By beating on a drum and chanting appropnate epic poems praising patriotism and the lineage of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), the Murshed hannonizes the movement of the athletes and conducts their training in the Zurkhaneh sport techniques. 
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The exact date of Birth of Zurkhaneh is not clear; however, some researchers such as professor Edward Brown & Dr. Mehrdad Bahar heheve that according to some documents, it goes hack to 3000 years ago. Zurkhaneh, during times has been known as “Langar-gali”, “Talim-khaneh”, “Ebadat-khaneh” and “Varzesh-khaneh” where athletic training, wrestling and other ancient exercises were practiced.

As the country of Iran has been invaded several times during the last two millenniums, those Iranians who have had strong feelings for justice and independence have at these times gone underground and built several cellars whose only access was by a small door These cellars were used as headquarters by these patriots to train young people in the techniques of war in preparation for the day when they would be called upon to strike at their enemies and drive them out their country.

Many times the foreign invaders destroyed these cellars, which later came to be called Zurkhaneh, meaning houses of strength chivalry & generosity, but the natives continued to build others in different places.

 Those who received training in the Zurkhanch were later divided into two groups: knights and sportsmen. The knights were engaged in an open struggle against the invaders until one of their leaders, a man called Yaghob Layth Saffari, succeeded in establishing an independent monarchy in Iran.

The sportsmen, by replacing traditional war weapons with instruments related to exercise that is by using a Sang (meaning stone but actually made of heavy wood) in place of a shield, an Indian club (known as Meel in Persian) in place of a mace and a Kabbadeh (a device made of iron in the shape of a bow) in place of an authentic bow, continued to pmctiee their physical exercises in the Zurkhaneh.

 In the middle of the Zurkhaneh, there is an octagonal shaped pit about one meter deep and 20 square meters in diameter where the athletes perform their exercises. Near the entrance of the Zurkhaneh there is a raised dias, called Sardam, on which sits a person who is named Murshed, meaning leader or coordinator, who chants poems taken form the well known book of Shahnameh, book of kings.

Wearing a pair of short leather pants or wrapping a piece of cloth around their waist, the sportsmen of the Zurkhaneh begin their exercises. Here they learn the lessons of faimess, purity, courage, high human ideals and spiritual perfection along with the techniques of warfare. They were also taught to offer help where and when needed and to try to solve the problems of their fellow men. In the past, the sportsmen started their exercises m the Zurkhaneh at dawn and ended after sunrise.

Nowadays, however, they often begin after sunset. The sportsmen hold the Zurkhaneh pit in high esteem since it is the place of good and pure souls. Thus when they set foot in the pit or leave it, they kiss the floor as a token of their respect.

 One should bear in mind that the Zurkhaneh exercises are graceful in more ways than one. It should not be forgotten that although one can observe the elegance of the athletic performances in Zurkhaneh, they are performed regularly by those interested in gaining physical and moral strength and they are by no means exercises reserved for special occasions.

 The traditional athletic actions in Zurkhaneh start with prayers said by the Murshed and it comes to an end with the utterance of the word “Amen” by the sportsmen and the attendants. 

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