how many plates can you hit?

Ah, Salaam and good evening to you worthy friend. Please, please, come closer--(camera zooms in, squishing his face) Too close, a little too close! (camera zooms back) There. Welcome to Agrabah. City of mystery, of enchantment...and the finest merchandise this side of the river Jordan, on sale today, come on down! Heh, heh. Look at this! Yes!...















I present you the House of Strength. The Iranian version of the traditional gymnasium, in which the national Iranian sport called Varzesh-e Pahlavani (Sport of the Heroes) or Varzesh-e Bastani (Sport of the Ancients) is practiced. A compilation of weightlifting, wrestling and dance with a touch of circus performance that dates back to, at least 2000 years back, before the Arab invasion in the 7th century. The Zurkhaneh (House of Strength) is Iran’s most ancient sport and still very much alive. In the spirit of Iran, a male-only activity, they gather to the Zurkhaneh to perform bodyweights exercises, learn chivalrous behavior, juggle clubs weighing up to 30 kilos and lug massive shields — all to the beat of drums and of course Persian poetry. However unlike modern gyms, the sportsman is first expected to be pure, truthful, good-tempered and then physically strong.

This year at the 1st Asian Zurkhaneh Sports Festival, Iran stole the show in the three-day event in the Shohada-ye Haftom-e Tir Hall in central Tehran coming in 1st with 78 points. Iraq finished runner-up with 70 points while Tajikistan, Afghanistan, South Korea, Pakistan, Nepal, and Indonesia ranked third to eighth