Misconceptions

• A Madman Called Mossadegh: In the Book Zen Combat and the Secret Power Called KI, published by Weatherhill in New York in 1962, its author, Jay Gluck, covers martial arts in several countries. In the Chapter about Iran on page 94, he writes:

  ". . . in the popular revolt against the madman Mossadeg several years before, it was a Zur Khane Champion (the Brainless), who led the unarmed civilian attack on Mossadeg's stronghold mansion to overthrow the unstable tyrant."

  Mr. Gluck refers to Mossadegh as the "Madman" who hid himself in his protected castle until Shaban Jafari (here the author correctly calls him the Brainlesss) came and with bravery captured the madman and saved Iran. I wonder if the author knows what the true meaning of the word brainless is.

  The author wrote the historical facts 100% wrong. Obviously, he is referring to the coup de'ta in 1953 led by the British and CIA. First, Mossadegh was a popular Prime Minister at the time and very much supported by Iranians. In fact, Shaban Jafari on the day of the coup was attacking the anti-Shah demonstrators and disrupting their gatherings through his CIA-paid gang members.

• House of Deception: In the same book on page 92, the author mistakenly translates Zoorkhaneh, where the rituals of Pahlavani are practiced, as the "House of Deception." Zoorkhaneh literally means the House of Strength. We think the error arises from the notion that the Persian word "Zoor" is mistaken for Arabic root of the verb "Zavara" which means deception, hence the translation House of Deception.

• Iranian Tradition, not Arabic/Islamic: Contrary to popular belief, Varzesh-e Pahlavani is a purely Iranian tradition from ancient days. Its origin goes back to the Parthian Dynasty when the first academy of martial arts was established. The word Pahlavan is derived from the Parthian word "Pahlav." Moreover, the Zoorkhaneh itself resembles structurally with the temples of Mithraism religion. Mithraism fully developed at the time of Parthians. The Mithraist temples were round, had lower-than-ground entrance doors, and included an elevated seating area where the priests would preach about the religion. Similarly, the structure of the Zoorkhaneh is exactly the same. Islamic mosques, on the other hand, do not resemble the above configurations.

  It is true that with the introduction of Islam in Iran, the spiritual dimension of the religion was incorporated into various aspects of the Persian culture. Pahlavani was not an exception and openly absorbed this aspect because inherently it was a peaceful tradition that preached to cleanse the soul and the heart from attachment to material belongings.

  Islam advised the men and women to cover their naked bodies. In Zoorkhaneh, it is customary that men exercise with naked upper body. This is in violation of Islamic teachings. Again, in Mithraist tradition, the men would pray and worship with naked upper bodies.

  Finally, as for the portrait of Imam Ali in the Zoorkhaneh, the practice was introduced from Safavid Dynasty (~ 1500-1737 AD). Safavid was a political-religious state which chose the Shia' sect of Islam as her official religion. Imam Ali is the first leader of the Shia' sect and very much loved by Iranians as a great leader. He was also a brave fighter during religious wars alongside Prophet Mohammad. This attribute can explain why he is revered in the Pahlavani tradition. He would not fight for power, but for justice and for the right of the poor -- a philosophy that is also one of the principles of Varzesh-e Pahlavani.

• Tatoo and Knifing: Tatooing hands and bodies have been mistakenly attributed to Pahlavani. There is no evidence a real Pahlavan tatooed his body. The practice was introduced by body-builders and tugs who felt additional mark will provide them special identity. The tugs like Shaban Jafari and Teyeb Haj Rezai damaged the respect of Pahlavani for generations to come. In the late Pahlavi regime, in middle- and upper-class families, the parents used to discourage their children from tatooing arguing that was an indecent practice "only done by uneducated tugs and pahlavans."

  Knifing was also a characteristic of the street gang members who used to harass citizens in public roads in order to steal their monies and belongings. It is true that during Reza Shah's time due to neglect in not restoring old Zoorkhanehs and because their owners had abandoned their properties, some tugs had occupied them and it was known to be their prime location of activity. Again, the parents in the 1970's used to advise their children that Zoorkhanehs were places of child molesters and undesired people. This misconception hurt Pahlavani the most.

• Women in Zoorkhaneh:Women are strictly forbidden from entering Zoorkhanehs. This practice has been in place from early days. In Pahlavi regime, specially during Mohammad Reza Shah, it was the practice to take government dignitaries and their wives to Zoorkhanehs of Tehran and show various practices of Pahlavani. The situation would be an awkward one for the practitioners who on one hand did not appreciate the arrival of the women and on the other hand they had to exhibit their exercises to the authorities. There were even special occasions western-educated Iranian authorities visited Zoorkhanehs with their wives who were dressed in mini skirts. The practioners were disturbed yet they could not openly object fearing some sort of punishment from the visitors. The exclusion of women from Zoorkhaneh also originates from Mithraist rituals. Mithraism in essence was a religion for warriors. Roman soldiers through contact with Mithra followers got attracted to it and in later years Mithraism spread from Iran to the Roman Empire.

• Mythical Pahlavans, not Real History: It is important to note that the beginning of Pahlavani tradition goes back to Parthian Dynasty, but poet Ferdowsi in his epic book called Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) chronicles the events occurred during some 5,000 years of Persian dynasties. Reading Shahnameh, the reader loses the boundaries between mythical and historical events. Pahlavans like Sam, Zal, Rostam and Sohrab seem real characters, although they are mythical figures. Ferdowsi created Rostam as a strong hero fighting to preserve Iranian borders. He called him Jahan Pahlavan (Pahlavan of the World). When contemporary wrestler Gholamreza Takhti became Iran's Pahlavan in 1957, the Iranian people gave him the title of Jahan Pahlavan borrowed from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. For the first time a mythical figure like Rostam and a real historical personage like Takhti shared the same title, hence making the line between myth and reality even more transparent.

To Be Continued

Misinformation

• Habibullah Bolour's Articles:

• Teyeb Haj Rezai:

• Homa Airline Magazine:

• Ancient Sport (Varzesh Bastani):

• Indian Club:

Misrepresentations

• The Original Sin:

• Shaban "the Brainless":

• Foreign Dignitaries at Zoorkhaneh:

• Professor Christian Barnard's Book:

• Mr. Iranpanah's Book "koshtigir":

• Article in "Pajouhesh" Magazine:

• Pahlavani Practice in Public Parks in the US:

• Pahlavans on Championship Platform:

• Persian Gymnasium: