Wrestlers at training, wearing old traditional trousers. The Zourkhaneh (house of strength) was donated by the Shah to Shaabane-bi-mokh (Shaabane the Brainless) to thank him for sending his troops against nationalist leader Mossadegh, during the 1952 coup

© Abbas
My gallery Comment Tag Order Photography*
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Wrestlers at training, wearing old traditional trousers. The Zourkhaneh (house of strength) was donated by the Shah to Shaabane-bi-mokh (Shaabane the Brainless) to thank him for sending his troops against nationalist leader Mossadegh, during the 1952 coup

France, 1971, printed 2016
Photographs
Gelatin silver print
Image: 14 3/4 × 10 in. (37.47 × 25.4 cm) Primary support: 16 × 12 in. (40.64 × 30.48 cm)
Purchased with funds provided by Shidan Taslimi (M.2016.199.2)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

...
This photograph by the photojournalist, Abbas, belongs to a body of work titled "Life Before Revolution" that documents life in Iran prior to the 1979 revolution. It is set in a zurkhana ("house of strength"), where the pahlavans (the zurkhana athletes) practice a traditional form of wrestling. Although no longer in fashion, it used to be common practice for pahlavans, to wear tattoo designs that symbolized their courage and dedication, as seen here.
More...

Bibliography

  • Komaroff, Linda. In the Fields of Empty Days: The Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: DelMonico Books-Prestel, 2018.