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

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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.
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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.