| Description |
The culture of pehlevans (pehlevanliq) refers to variety of traditional physical performances, training and competitions practiced and transmitted from generation to generation by ‘pehlevans’ (traditional athletes/wrestlers). It includes zorkhana games and sports, pehlevan wrestling (‘gulesh’), and individual pehlevan performances at outdoor celebrations and various popular events.
While zorkhana games and sports used to be performed in special buildings bearing the same name (‘houses of strength’, with arenas (“sufra”), surrounded by spectators), they were destroyed in early 20th century during the Soviet period. Despite the destruction of zorkhanas, pehlevans’ performances continued to be transmitted and became popular in early 1990s, when Azerbaijan regained its independence. Communities continue to use the term ‘zorkhana’ to refer mainly to their performances.
Originally framed as training activities of athletes for military purposes (State of Safavids, 16th century), zorkhanas, with time, completely lost their original function, while remaining a part of culture. Today, dozens of pehlevans perform in Azerbaijan. In zorkhanas, pehlevans use specific tools (‘mil’,‘yekba’,‘kebbade’), which imitate Middle Age weapons (sword, shield, bow), but are made heavier (originally, to allow pehlevans handle real weapons easily). The gulesh wrestling is a type of zorkhana performances, requiring specific skills and regulated by set of rules. The competitions are regulated by referees and accompanied by “Jangi” music or naghara drums fast beating. Pehlevans also perform outside zorkhana sports, through weightlifting, pulling heavy objects and other displays of bodily strength.
The pehlevanliq culture represents integral part of popular culture and gives strong sense of identity to communities in Azerbaijan. |
| Social and cultural significance |
For many years, pehlevans have been a symbol of strength, power, invincibility of Azerbaijan and has been giving the sense and pride and honour to the local communities. The skill of the pehlevans, who had extraordinary strength and physical fitness, spread from tongue to tongue and became a legend. In Azerbaijani fairy tales and epics, a pehlevan is a strong person distinguished by his courage, bravery, intelligence and restraint.
Communities believe that practicing pehlevan games and sports contribute to improving health as an everyday sport, and enhances both physical and mental well-being, thus helping practitioners become healthy members of society. For pehlevans, their activities are not just physical exercises inherited from their ancestors: they say that these performances reinforce the feeling of cultural belonging, makes them lead healthy way of life and develop determination in their characters, in the way as their ancestors would do. For pehlevans, concerned musicians and craftspeople, broader public, the element strengthens the feeling of identity, with the perception of traditional sports as integral part of life, culture and history. Although the performances and training with tools (‘mil’,‘yekba’,‘kebbade’) have lost their original purpose (learning to handle real weapons easily), these performances continued to live for centuries and now carry cultural functions.
The culture of pehlevanliq promotes social cohesion and integration among communities. It is also an integral part of folk events and celebrations held outdoors, thus contributing to social integration and encouraging solidarity among community members. |
| Transmission method |
The main driver for the transmission of the element has been the interest of local communities to zorkhana games and sports and performances of pehlevans, their cultural functions and the spirit of celebration, entertainment, bravery and human strength. Today, the knowledge about the element, its rules, skills and techniques are transmitted by pehlevans-trainers to younger generation by word of mouth through collective trainings. Participating in the training with a view to become a pehlevan is open to any young man in good health. The trainers teach the beginners how to perform the games in team, get better hold of the instruments and objects of the games. In physical education institutions, the element is transmitted in formal way, which is based on the traditional methodologies of transmission.
The traditional wresting (gulesh) includes a specific type of popular style of wrestling called ‘dustane’ (friendship), taking a form of a warm-up exercise and widely used for training purposes (as compared to competitive or ‘power’ wrestling). Craftsmen creating zorkhana tools transmit their knowledge related to their crafting within families. The transmission of jangi music is organized in formal way, through the large network of secondary and higher music education institutions.
Founded in 2007, Azerbaijan Zorkhana Federation plays an important role in the process of transmission of the element. Its main purpose is to safeguard the traditions of pehlevanliq, organize trainings and competitions across the country, as well as support the transmission by the using the sports facilities available locally and involving experienced local pehlevans. |
| Community |
The community of the element includes, most importantly, pehlevans (traditional athletes, men) who practice and perform athletic and training activities referred to as zorkhana games and sports (such as ‘mil’, yekba, kebbade, and others), as well as pehlevan wrestling (‘gulesh’), and individual pehlevan performances at outdoor celebrations and various popular events, and who transmit them to the younger generation. The community also includes coaches of pehlevans, referees, as well as musicians performing for the zorkhana games. The people attending the performances of pehlevans and those closely associating themselves with the heritage of pehlevans and zorkhana represent a broader community of the element. Finally, several non-governmental organizations and public associations, including most importantly the Azerbaijan Zorkhana Federation, are organizations bringing together numerous practitioners from different parts of the country. |
| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2022 |
