Michelle May

I went to a Zurkhaneh session in the town of Ardabil a few nites back.  Zurkhaneh is an ancient ritual which i can best describe as a cross between whirling dervish, mosque prayer, aerobics, and weight lifting.  I am happy that the elders let me watch as an “honorary male”  ; ) It was captivating & the participants & old men with tea (above pic) were charming hosts.  Here is he Wikipedia low-down on Zurkhaneh & one of my brief videos to follow. Enjoy!

The Varzesh-e Pahlavani rituals mimic the rituals and traditions of Sufi orders, as evidenced by terminology like murshed “master” (beating the drum and reciting poetry), pish kesvat “leader”, taj “crown” or faqr “poverty”. The ethics involved are also similar to Sufi ideals, emphasizing purity of heart. Every session begins with pious praise of prophet and his family. In less religion-oriented Zurkhanehs, these elements are replaced by the recital of stories from Iranian mythology, such as those of the Shahnameh.

The main part of a Varzesh-e Pahlavani session is dedicated to gymnastics or calisthenics, notably using a pair of wooden clubs (mil) and metal shields (sang), and bow-shaped iron weights (’kaman). The exercises also involve acrobatics like Sufi whirling and juggling. The sessions end with submission wrestling known as the Koshti Pahlavani

 

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Tags: Iran, Tabriz.

 I am up in Tabriz, near the borders of Turkey, Azerbaijan & Armenia.  The people here are Azari & speak a Turkish sort of Farsi  The traffic is less hectic than in Tehran (see photo of Tabriz traffic & let me know what you think….) though i have travelled only by foot, bus & taxi in this city : )   Am headed to Kurdish area on border of Iraq next (by bus, don’t worry…).   I hear the Kurds are even more hospitable- I do not know how that is possible!  Not much time to blog these days- will make up for it later.  Lots of Love, Michelle

Tags: Iran, Tabriz.