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01:00Iran, a country in the west of Asia that was known as Persia until 1935,
01:15became the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979.
01:18With a surface area of 1,650,000 square kilometers, it is three times the size of France and sits
01:28between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.
01:30It shares a border with Iraq, with whom it fought a war lasting eight years.
01:36With an increasing population of an estimated 80 million people,
01:40Iran is the world's second largest exporter of crude oil.
01:43Its capital, Tehran, has eight million citizens.
01:49It's modern and vibrant, in spite of the international sanctions which have stifled the Iranian economy for 12 years.
01:57The women wear the chador, a kind of long tunic, but more often wear a simple and more practical scarf.
02:03After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iranian law imposed the wearing of the veil.
02:12At the same time, women's access to higher education significantly increased.
02:17The majority of Iranians are Shia, one of the three branches of Islam.
02:23They speak Persian or Farsi.
02:26Three other religions are constitutionally recognized and are represented in parliament.
02:32Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism.
02:36Sunni Muslims, who are the majority in the rest of the Muslim world,
02:41represent a mere 9% of Iran's population and have no parliamentary seats.
02:58Every week, in the mosque basement known as a Zurkaneh, or House of Strength,
03:03men come together to train.
03:05They practice a traditional martial art combining wrestling and dance called
03:10Varze-Palavani, meaning ancient sport, or Varze-Bastani, meaning traditional sport.
03:18Iran's national sport, it consists of a series of bodybuilding,
03:22gymnastic and wrestling techniques performed to the beat of the tombak drum.
03:27A leader, or Morshed, intones poems paying tribute to the sacred figures of Shia faith.
03:32The athletes, known as Palavani, train in the Zurkaneh,
03:36a kind of octagonal pit about a meter deep and 10 to 20 meters in diameter.
03:45The exercises alone are a sport in themselves,
03:49with tests of strength and agility,
03:51specific rituals and a respect for moral and ethical codes.
03:55After the Arab conquest,
03:58Varze-Palavani had to become a clandestine practice
04:01and represented a form of resistance to the gradual Islamification of Persian society.
04:06This form of wrestling helped to uphold Shia values in the face of Sunni-ism.
04:16These athletes take part in all kinds of exercises,
04:19such as lifting huge wooden panels or shields called song while lying on the ground,
04:24or wielding enormous wooden clubs.
04:26Zurkaneh is part of traditional Iranian culture.
04:46In Iranian Koshdi Palavani wrestling, unlike in Greco-Roman wrestling,
04:51physical strength alone is not enough.
04:53To Koshdi Palavani champion, or Palavan,
05:00is not merely a wrestling champion,
05:02but a man who inspires respect for more than his physical power,
05:06but also his honesty, understanding and compassion.
05:10He is a serene, spiritual, and disciplined man.
05:24He sets an example to others in the way he lives his day-to-day life.
05:27A palavan training regime is physical as well as mental.
05:41He has a chivalrous spirit and a deep respect for his art.
05:49These are the things we teach the youngsters,
05:55this spiritual mindset, which is Koshdi Palavani.
05:58In days gone by, Palavan was used as a judicial tool in villages
06:17with no police or court of law.
06:26People resorted to Palavan to resolve disputes between them,
06:29but also to sort out the many problems of everyday life.
06:38Palavan sometimes even provided financial aid to the most destitute.
06:42Palavan's judicial decision was always respected,
06:48and he was seen as a man above any suspicion.
07:02Whenever villagers went away on a journey or to visit their family,
07:06they entrusted their home to the Palavan.
07:09People had genuine faith in them.
07:12The Palavan of each district was respected for not only his physical strength,
07:37but also his respect for the moral and religious values he represents.
07:42He epitomized the man of honor and integrity.
07:57Our discipline was formulated by the ancients,
08:01and we are now developing it through the younger generation.
08:04The Palavan's training session always begins and ends with a prayer led by the Moshed,
08:17followed by warming up and stretching exercises,
08:19like small jumps and circular arm movements.
08:22These help to improve theching of the Pants.
08:48These help to improve arm and leg strength, as well as cardio-respiratory functions.
09:00Saint-Géréph-Thane is a drill which involves lifting wooden shields, slowly or quickly,
09:05with one hand and then the other.
09:09This helps to develop the triceps and the pectoral, neck and abdominal muscles.
09:18The Moshed directs the training from his seat on a raised platform called a sardam
09:23and rings a bell to mark the beginning and the end of each drill.
09:32Varzeh Palavani is more than a martial art.
09:36It has allowed the Iranians to combat invaders over the course of history
09:40and to integrate the spiritual values of Sufism,
09:43the traditional rituals of Mithraism and the heroism of Iranian nationalism.
09:53Palavans are duty-bound to observe certain codes of conduct
09:56in order to develop humility, generosity, charity, respect for the law and courage.
10:03They are a fraternity and offer help to those around them when it's needed.
10:17In days gone by, Erzouk and his Palavan would protect their district of the town or village.
10:22VIOLIN PLAYS
10:43VIOLIN PLAYS
10:46Because I am regulated, on time, I haven't yet
10:53I have always leaned, I have not yet
10:58It's the question of the country that doesn't yet exist.
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