Polo The nomads of Central Asia practiced a form of polo that was both sport and combat training, with up to 100 men on each side. In Persia, polo, practiced by the nobility and the military, became a national sport. The game was formalized and spread from the west to Constantinople, from the east to Tibet, China and Japan, and also from the south to India. Polo is perhaps the oldest team sport, although its exact origin is an enigma. Nomad warriors probably first played this sport more than two thousand years ago, but the earliest known tournament dates back to 600 BC. The name is supposed to come from the Tibetan "pholo", which means "ball" or · ball game ". Starting from its origins in Persia, the game has often been associated with the rich and noble of society; kings, princes and queens of Persia played this game. Polo has also been linked to the middle and upper classes in the past, mainly because of its origins in Great Britain. The fact that it was played by wealthy people is perhaps due to the fact that, being a game played on horseback, it requires at least two horses per game, an expensive hobby. In the Middle Ages, polo was used for cavalry training throughout the East (from Tokyo to Constantinople), and was played almost like a miniature battle. It first reached Westerners via British Manipur tea planters and spread to Malta with soldiers and naval officers. In 1869, the first game in Great Britain (of "hockey on horseback", as it was called), was organized in Hounslow Heath, in charge of Aldershot. However, the size of the polo field (nearly 10 acres in area, nine times the size of soccer fields) has not changed since one of the first fields
Polo
The nomads of Central Asia practiced a form of polo that was both sport and combat training, with up to 100 men on each side. In Persia, polo, practiced by the nobility and the military, became a national sport. The game was formalized and spread from the west to Constantinople, from the east to Tibet, China and Japan, and also from the south to India.
Polo is perhaps the oldest team sport, although its exact origin is an enigma. Nomad warriors probably first played this sport more than two thousand years ago, but the earliest known tournament dates back to 600 BC. The name is supposed to come from the Tibetan “pholo”, which means “ball” or · ball game “. Starting from its origins in Persia, the game has often been associated with the rich and noble of society; kings, princes and queens of Persia played this game. Polo has also been linked to the middle and upper classes in the past, mainly because of its origins in Great Britain. The fact that it was played by wealthy people is perhaps due to the fact that, being a game played on horseback, it requires at least two horses per game, an expensive hobby.
Zurkhaneh Zurkhaneh is a Persian gym where athletes undergo a series of bodybuilding techniques. The term Zurkhaneh refers to the training place, whose literal meaning is "powerhouse". The ritual is carried out by a musician who sings poems and is accompanied by the rhythm of the drum and rings bells to determine the beginning of the different sections and actions. Practitioners of this sport undergo a long sequence of exercises directed by the musician, the guide of the room, called "Morshed" in Persian. Zurkhaneh practice encompasses all the factors of good health (muscular capacity, respiratory and cardiac resistance, flexibility, body composition) and of good physical capacity (speed, alertness, strength, speed of action, balance and coordination). This practice can be considered a historical legacy of the Sassanid era that has survived, more or less, in some parts of Iran. In short, Zurkhaneh was a former physical education school for soldiers and military personnel, comparable to the gymnasiums of the Roman polis. Iranian soldiers perfected their famous physical strength and approached combat techniques by practicing the complete Zurkhaneh martial system with training exercises aimed at developing the power and agility necessary to fight with sword, bow and arrow, mace and shield. The Zurjane focuses on strength, physique, ability and endurance and continues to live as a legacy of the past and deserves a lot of attention. To know more about the Persian gym, you need to know some technical and jargon terms: Varzesh-e Bastani (ancient sport): consists of certain exercises practiced according to particular customs and rituals established hundreds of years ago. Each Varzesh-e Bastani session includes: warm-up and physical exercises. Zarb: is a large vase-shaped drum, usually covered with deerskin or goatskin. The zarb is used to give rhythm and speed to exercises. Gowd: It is the fundamental part of Zurkhaneh,
Zurkhaneh
Zurkhaneh is a Persian gym where athletes undergo a series of bodybuilding techniques. The term Zurkhaneh refers to the training place, whose literal meaning is “powerhouse”. The ritual is carried out by a musician who sings poems and is accompanied by the rhythm of the drum and rings bells to determine the beginning of the different sections and actions. Practitioners of this sport undergo a long sequence of exercises directed by the musician, the guide of the room, called “Morshed” in Persian. Zurkhaneh practice encompasses all the factors of good health (muscular capacity, respiratory and cardiac resistance, flexibility, body composition) and of good physical capacity (speed, alertness, strength, speed of action, balance and coordination).
This practice can be considered a historical legacy of the Sassanid era that has survived, more or less, in some parts of Iran. In short, Zurkhaneh was a former physical education school for soldiers and military personnel, comparable to the gymnasiums of the Roman polis.
Iranian soldiers perfected their famous physical strength and approached combat techniques by practicing the complete Zurkhaneh martial system with training exercises aimed at developing the power and agility necessary to fight with sword, bow and arrow, mace and shield. The Zurjane focuses on strength, physique, ability and endurance and continues to live as a legacy of the past and deserves a lot of attention. To know more about the Persian gym, you need to know some technical and jargon terms:
Popular Iranians Games Games are often culturally charged and traditional Iranian games, on top of that, enjoy a great variety. Due to the broad climate, ethnicity and tribe in Iran, these games have been designed for specific purposes and have become common among the population. In Iran there are more than 150 types of traditional games that the new generation is no longer familiar with due to the passage of time, new technologies and lifestyle changes. These games are divided into two groups: indoor and outdoor games. These games, in turn, have allowed people to enjoy their leisure time anywhere and some of them are socially and culturally common in most cities in Iran. 1- Kabaddi (Zu-Breath hold game) This is a very common game among Iranians. Kabaddi is played between two teams whose members have been selected respectively, called "wolf" and "lamb." One of the wolf team players keeps chanting “zu” uninterruptedly in order to capture lamb team players. If the lambs manage not to be touched until the wolf stops singing "zu", they turn the wolf into a lamb. If not, the attacker returns to his teammates, holding his breath and saying the word "zu". 2- Ye qol do qol (Spherical stones) This game requires five stones, preferably spherical. After having thrown them on the ground, if possible close to each other, while you are sitting down, you take a stone and throw it into the air and meanwhile, with the same hand, you take another, then you catch the first one on the fly and leave it in a side. The same gesture is repeated for each of the other stones (4 times in total). In the second round, two pebbles are collected from the first and second handles, always throwing one into the air. In the
Popular Iranians Games
Games are often culturally charged and traditional Iranian games, on top of that, enjoy a great variety. Due to the broad climate, ethnicity and tribe in Iran, these games have been designed for specific purposes and have become common among the population. In Iran there are more than 150 types of traditional games that the new generation is no longer familiar with due to the passage of time, new technologies and lifestyle changes. These games are divided into two groups: indoor and outdoor games. These games, in turn, have allowed people to enjoy their leisure time anywhere and some of them are socially and culturally common in most cities in Iran.
