13821156 - In Tehran, men practise Varzesh-e Pahlavani or Zurkhaneh, a traditional system of athletics originally used to train warriors in Persia (Iran) that combines martial arts, strength training, wrestling and music. It fuses elements of pre-Islamic Persian culture (particularly Zoroastrianism, Mithraism and Gnosticism) with the spirituality of Shia Islam and sufism. Practiced in a domed structure called the zurkhaneh, training sessions consist mainly of ritual gymnastic movements.
