Zurkhaneh Training in Iran, 1960s - Archive Film 1090305

This film is available to license from our website at Huntley Film Archives, by searching for film 1090305 in our Film # search bar: Iran 1960s. Middle East. Body building for men. Zurkhaneh power work out ritual is carried out by a group of very muscular, strong men. Type of Iranian martial arts or ancient sport. The training ritual begins with men swinging heavy clubs over their shoulders in circular movement. A drummer keeps beat. The men are bare chested. A man joins the group later and lifts two heavy Indian clubs in his hands. One man whirls around and around in the centre of the sunken octagon shaped arena, akin to a bath house setting. Drummer rings a bell. Another man swings a iron bow above his head, a kabbiida. Another now throws smaller clubs into the air, with a view up to the mosaic domed ceiling. At the end one man walks towards the camera and closes sliding doors. Huntley Film Archives is a film library holding tens of thousands of films. The large majority of the films are documentaries. Films cover a wide range of subjects and production dates range from the 1890’s to the 2020’s. As with all libraries we make no judgement on the content of our holdings and make them available for educational purposes for all to see. Films may have content or express opinions some may think inappropriate or offensive, but it is not the work of a library to censor educational resources. Films should be viewed with historical objectivity and within a context relevant to the times in which they were produced