Traditional Iranian
wrestling (
koshti) dates back to ancient Persia and was said to have been practiced by
Rustam, Iranian hero of the
Shahnameh epic.
Grappling for combat was considered the particular specialty of the zourkhāneh. The original purpose of these institutions was to train men as warriors and instill them with a sense of national pride in anticipation for the coming battles. The zourkhaneh system of training is what is now known as varzesh-e bastani, and its particular form of wrestling was called koshti pahlevani, after the
Parthian word
pahlevan meaning hero. Following the spread of
Shia Islam, and particularly after the development of
Sufism in the eighth century, varzesh-e pahlavani absorbed philosophical and spiritual components from it. Varzesh-e bastani was particularly popular in the 19th century, during the reign of the Qajar king Nāser al-Din Shāh Qājār (1848–1896). Every 21 March on
Nowruz (the Iranian new year), competitions would be held in the shah's court, and the shah himself would present the champion with an armlet (
bazoo-band). The sport declined following the rise of the
Pahlavi dynasty in the 1920s and the subsequent modernisation campaigns of
Reza Shah, who saw the sport as a relic of
Qajarite ritual. Reza Shah's son
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi took a different approach, emphasizing Iran's ancient Persian roots as an alternative to the heavily Islam-based identity of less developed nations in the Middle East. He attempted to revive the tradition and practiced it himself, and during his reign, the last national competitions were held. Following the
Iranian Revolution of 1979 the tradition lost some of its popularity as the new regime discouraged anything tied to pre-Islamic paganism, which included the Gnostic chants and rituals of the zourkhāneh. This did not last, however, as the Islamic Republic eventually promoted varzesh-e bastani as a symbol of Iranian pride and culture. The matter of attracting younger members has been a major discourse for some time. Suggestions have included making practice more upbeat and distributing duties among the younger members instead of adhering strictly to seniority. The IZSF was established in response to this and it is currently the world governing body for all zourkhāneh. In recent years, the sport appears to be gaining popularity in the countries adjacent to Iran, including Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the
Baku's
Inner City's entertainment areas was the Zorkhana. Baku's Zorkhana located just a few steps from the Bukhari and Multani caravanserais, towards the
Maiden's Tower dates back to at least the 15th century. There were contests accompanied by a trio of musicians who performed traditional Eastern instruments like the
kamancha,
zurna and
naghara. Most of these melodies have long since been forgotten. However, one by the name of "Jangi" (War) is still performed prior to the opening of Azerbaijani national wrestling competitions (Gulash). ==The zurkhāneh==