Zoorkhaneh: Historic Training in Iranian Culture

Zoorkhaneh is a Persian type of sports club where athletes undergo rigorous regiment training. The term Zoorkhaneh refers to the place of practice, which means "House of Strength" in English. The ritual is lead by a musician who chants sacred poetry while keeping time on a drum and ringing bells to mark the beginning of different sections. Zoorkhaneh sports have the factors issued to health (Muscular ability, muscular endurance, respiratory and heart endurance, flexibility and body composition) and physical ability and skills (Speed, alacrity, strength, action speed, equilibrium and coordination). The participants go through a lengthy sequence of exercises. This historic legacy of the Mithraic era is still, more or less, surviving in some parts of I.R. of Iran. This ancient school of thought in physical education, skill, strength, power and endurance, all in deep concentration and meditation, is still alive and as a legacy of the past deserves much attention to live longer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the selected number of technical terms and jargons of the Zoorkhaneh, historical, philosophical and religious background of this home of physical strength; also the strong points and drawbacks regarded to Zoorkhaneh and some suggestions for the improvement of the present situation of Zoorkhaneh in Iran.