Sport has played a small - okay, no - role on our trip over the last few months. We're trying our hand at watching. We just don't want to do any more sport at the moment. Or to put it another way: we have absolutely no desire to train at the moment.
It's completely different when we are allowed to watch. We learn about a traditional sport that we could admire here in Yazd. We actually find what we are looking for. In the evening, we make our way to a Zurkhaneh. But what awaits us there?
Zurkhaneh is actually the building, as we understand it. It is a fascinating example of traditional architecture and culture, deeply rooted in the history and social customs of the country. These historic sports facilities literally mean "house of strength".
Originally, they served as training centres for warriors to improve their physical strength and fighting skills. Over time, however, the Zurkhanehs developed into places where not only physical but also spiritual and moral virtues were promoted. The practices and rituals in a Zurkhaneh are deeply rooted in the Sufi tradition, which centres on humility, brotherhood and self-improvement.
In the evening, we enter one of these Zurkhanehs. The room is full, boys and men are standing in the inner circle, spectators are cheering on the sidelines. As we enter, the smell hits us: like a football stadium at the height of summer after a tournament. Simply stuffy. But the atmosphere is great, the noise deafening. The "stench" is quickly forgotten.
The Sardam, the place of the so-called Morsched, who rhythmically accompanies the athletes with singing, cup drums (Tombak) and bells (Zang-e Zurchaneh), is a few steps higher. In the centre is a kind of pit into which the athletes (yes, they are only men) then move to the beat. The sporting exercises begin with spins around their own axis, which correspond to the spinning dance of the Sufis, and move on to strength and dexterity exercises. The exercises include swinging and juggling wooden clubs weighing up to 40 kg, lifting metal shields weighing up to 120 kg from a supine position and lifting and swinging heavy arch-shaped iron weights.
The whole thing lasts around 45 minutes and we are completely mesmerised by the power of the boys and men and the atmosphere in the hall. There is shouting, cheering, singing and clapping. After just 10 minutes I feel like my hearing is giving up the ghost (my nose has already stopped working by itself as a precaution) and at the end we are invited for tea by the landlord. The details are explained to us once again and there is even something of a museum on a lower floor.
Wow, what an evening, what an experience. The men may have burnt more calories, but we have added something to our memory bank account. What wonderful memories!
Merci for "travelling with us
We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.
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