- 3 weeks ago
Somewhere between gymnastics and wrestling, Zurkhaneh is a collective sport practiced to the rhythm of wooden instruments and poetic verses. The wrestler is a man of integrity, inspiring respect, understanding, and compassion. By combining moral discipline with physical health, Zurkhaneh wrestling is practiced in Iran as a true way of life.
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00:00Thank you for listening.
06:28to resolve disputes between them,
06:30but also to sort out the many problems of everyday life.
06:38Palvan sometimes even provided financial aid
06:41to the most destitute.
06:45The Palvan's judicial decision was always respected,
06:48and he was seen as a man above any suspicion.
06:58We have started this development anyway.
07:02Whenever villagers went away on a journey,
07:05or to visit their family,
07:06they entrusted their home to the Palvan.
07:09People had genuine faith in them.
07:28The parliament of each district was respected for not only his physical strength, but also
07:37his respect for the moral and religious values he represented.
07:43He epitomised the man of honour and integrity.
07:48Our discipline was formulated by the ancients and we are now developing it through the
08:03younger generation.
08:11The Palavan's training session always begins and ends with a prayer led by the Moshed, followed
08:17by warming up and stretching exercises, like small jumps and circular arm movements.
08:47These help to improve arm and leg strength as well as cardio-respiratory functions.
08:59Sangereftane is a drill which involves lifting wooden shields slowly or quickly with one hand
09:07and then the other.
09:10This 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 and rings
09:24a bell to mark the beginning and the end of each drill.
09:33Varze Palavani is more than a martial art.
09:37It has allowed the Iranians to combat invaders over the course of history and to integrate
09:41the spiritual values of Sufism, the traditional rituals of Mithraism and the heroism of Iranian
09:48nationalism.
09:54Palavans are duty-bound to observe certain codes of conduct in order to develop humility,
09:59generosity, charity, respect for the law and courage.
10:13They are a fraternity and offer help to those around them when it's needed.
10:18In days gone by, Erzuk and his Palavan would protect their district of the town or village.
10:26In the 19th century, we hit the maize and the
10:31lands on a curtain or24.
10:36Remove the lint to Christian, poisoncade,
10:39and share by all human tasks.
10:43In my Tas hebdoms'
10:54I'm a
11:05I'm going to play the play.
11:13I'm going to play the play.
11:17I'm going to play the play.
12:53Shia dogma is based on the Koran.
13:00The imams preach from texts called Hadith.
13:04For Iranian Shias, the five daily prayers are said in three phases.
13:08During prayers, Shia worshippers place a clay slab beneath their forehead.
13:16This slab is often dug from a holy site like Kerbala or Mashal.
13:20Shias believe in the Tawid, the oneness of God.
13:33Their holy book is the Koran.
13:35And they believe in the Prophet Muhammad, in the resurrection and the final judgment.
13:39They have to fulfill certain fundamental obligations, the five pillars of Islam.
13:48Belief in the oneness of God, daily prayer, giving alms, pilgrimage to Mecca, and fasting at Ramadan.
13:56Shias believe in the justice of God and the imamate.
14:07For Shias, the imam is the spiritual guarantor, living proof of the truth of the revelations of their faith.
14:23He has the job of leading the community of believers.
14:27There are several branches within the Shia religion.
14:51The predominant group in Iran is the Twelvers, who revere a line of 12 imams who succeeded Muhammad.
14:57Shias believe in the Shia religion.
15:27Shias believer in the Shia religion.
15:29Shias believe in the Shia religion.
15:48We are going to talk to you.
16:18The faithful gather on the ground floor of the mosque and after communal prayers, share the free daily meal which has been prepared by the association's volunteers.
16:48The food, prepared for the occasion in large quantities, is simple and traditional.
17:06It consists of thick, chickpea-based soups called harrera, served with bread and raw onions.
17:17Everyone eats sitting on the rugs laid out on the floor.
17:46Let's go.
17:47Let's go.
17:48Let's go.
17:49Let's go.
17:51Let's go.
17:52Let's go.
17:53Let's go.
17:54Let's go.
17:55Let's go.
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17:58Let's go.
17:59Let's go.
18:00Let's go.
18:01Let's go.
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18:29Let's go.
18:30Let's go.
18:31Let's go.
18:43Let's go.
18:45Let's go, let's go, let's go.
19:15Let's go, let's go.
19:45Let's go.
20:15Let's go, let's go.
20:45Iran has a significant natural, cultural and architectural heritage.
20:51Traces of numerous ancient civilizations have been discovered, some dating back 7,000 years BC.
20:59But it was in 1200 BC that the Elamites built their capital Susa on the plain close to Mesopotamia.
21:15Persia's great period of growth took place under Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, during the Achaemenian Empire.
22:01Gholistan Palace, literally Roseland Palace in Persian, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
22:21This former royal palace was chosen as the seat of power by the ruling Kajar family, who came to power in 1779 and made Tehran their capital.
22:37Its sumptuous architecture nestles within the Arje Sultanati citadel.
22:49During the Pallavi period, which lasted from 1925 to 1979, Gholistan was used for official functions like the coronations of Reza Shah and Mohammed Reza Shah.
23:07The Pallavi family, having built its own palaces north of Tehran, the Pallavi family, having built its own palaces north of Tehran at Sadabad and Niavaro.
23:14The Emirat Badjir, the building of windcatchers, is one of Gholistan Palace's oldest buildings.
23:28It was built during the reign of Fat Ali Shah.
23:31It consists of a main room flanked by two chambers, two halls and an underground room containing a pool.
23:44The main room features stained glass windows, spiral plaster columns and painted marble plinths.
23:55The floor is covered with painted ceramic tiles, while the ceiling is decorated with mirror work and paintings which are atypical of Gholistan Palace.
24:14After Iranian Islamic Revolution, the planners and the government and the leaders of the government,
24:29they wanted to establish, review our culture, the strong parts of our culture.
24:50So they start to make a vivid feature of our culture.
25:01One part of our culture is in our sports.
25:07In our sport, Zurkhaneh is very important, so they start to make a federation for Zurkhaneh.
25:20We don't have it before our revolution.
25:24Now, this is the institution that tries to know this to the world, by the way, with the Iranian youngsters too.
25:37So I think the future of this federation and this sport is going to be very good.
25:46And it's going to be a little bit better than the past.
25:53It was before our Islamic religion.
25:55It was a part of Iranian empire that they wanted, you know, to train the soldiers,
26:03the soldiers that they wanted to go to war fields, you know, they should be prepared for the war.
26:12So they made this sport that they wanted to be prepared for this, bodily and spiritually, spiritually together.
26:42The weapons of days gone by have been replaced by other equipment.
26:56Like these coloured wooden clubs weighing anything from 2 to 50 kilos.
27:01They match up, Simon andärtani.
27:07We want to improve her, sir.
27:11Let's run through Luis R refreshing.
27:13We are all, касается, the leader andatrains hit.
27:15Lo говорю all the time later.
27:17And is everything that she veil off.
27:19The aura chips were happy about the following 19th and according to China.
27:22He could cast a bow to the airs.
27:24It was some pull.
27:26I said, he will cast fivewortes.
27:27He could escort him some, even after hisaczies.
27:29The athletes hold a club in each hand and throw the heavy end over their shoulders in a movement dictated by the beat of the drum.
27:49The most skilled wrestlers appear to be juggling the clubs.
28:19The athletes hold a club in each hand and the athletes hold a club in each hand and the athletes hold a club in each hand.
33:39Tehran has many parks and public gardens, around 800 in total, where Iranian families like
33:46to gather at the weekends.
33:47They come to stroll and picnic and so get away from the city's pollution.
33:55One of the most famous of these is the 14 hectare artificial forest park of Chitgar in the west
34:15of the city.
34:16There's also the magnificent 356 hectare Lali Park, lying in the very centre of the city
34:24and a wonderful place and a wonderful place to get some fresh air.
34:31Take it out.
34:38Take it out.
34:39Take it out.
35:41Good job.
36:11Good job.
36:41Good job.
37:11Good job.
37:12Good job.
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37:33Good job.
37:34Good job.
37:35Good job.
37:36Good job.
37:37Good job.
37:38Good job.
37:39Good job.
37:40Good job.
37:41In the south of Tehran, thousands of people do their shopping in the Great Bazaar,
37:46one of the biggest historic markets in the east.
37:49It's a veritable maze of cobbled streets.
37:54Tehran's bazaar sits opposite Golestan Palace.
37:57But unlike the bazaars of Tabriz or Ispahan, it is no architectural masterpiece.
38:11But this tangled labyrinth of galleries built over many years
38:22spreads for kilometers on several levels in a hodgepodge of styles and is bewitching.
38:28Beams of daylight shining through the holes in the arched roof
38:31combine with the artificial lighting illuminating the goods for sale
38:35to create a chiaroscuro effect.
38:37The whole market is built on a slope,
38:42affording a bird's-eye view of the thousands of people thronging through the alleyways.
38:50Shops and stalls are grouped by speciality.
38:54One section sells spices, one sells kitchen utensils,
38:57others sell ironwork or jewelry.
39:07All manner of precious stones are on sale here, as are carpets.
39:17Iran is a great exporter of the latter.
39:19So in the first section, it's the fifth section POLITICS.
39:34The first section is Syngambul'Mix.
40:05Iranian society is heavily influenced by religion and the existence of its organized clergy, the mullahs.
40:22Members of the Shia clergy are permitted to teach and interpret religious law on the condition that they've studied and earned a diploma.
40:29There's a hierarchy within the clergy in which each mullah has a title according to his religious knowledge.
40:38Iran has two major pilgrimage sites.
40:45Imam Reza's mausoleum at Mashhad and Fatima's at Qum.
40:53Iran's National Museum has many antique works from the Islamic era, like these ancient Koran manuscripts from different periods.
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45:06The youngest wrestler begins, standing in the center and starting to spin to the beat of the drum, gradually speeding up, before being joined by the others who do the same in age order.
45:36Eventually, the exercise ends with the oldest palaver, whose turn can last up to 15 minutes without him losing control or getting dizzy.
46:00Mashallah.
46:02Let's go, let's go!
46:32Thank you very much for joining us, thank you very much for joining us.
46:57I'm going to steal it.
47:27I'm going to steal it.
47:33I'm going to steal it.
47:57I'll give it to you.
48:23They are the people who were in the hands of them.
48:28And now they are their daughters.
48:30They are two daughters.
48:32To the Lord, Hosanna Jebaid, we are the one who will give them.
48:53Despite its current standing on the world stage,
49:08Iran, with its rich cultural heritage, remains a warm and welcoming country.
49:14The Iranians themselves are optimistic about the future.
49:18Varzee-Palavani attaches great importance to chivalry, courtesy and courage.
49:25But there's a lot more to it than that.
49:31In fact, it's one of the few sports in which religion seems to have an important part to play.
49:37This ancestral sport has managed to adapt to the many different regimes which have ruled Persia over the years.
49:44It provides a great balance between spirituality and physical strength.
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