For over 700 years, Persians have been practicing the traditional martial art known as Pahlevani, or more commonly referred to as Zoorkhaneh, which means “house of strength.”

The exercise combines traditional bodybuilding equipment with gymnastic movements. Ten to twenty men compete in the sacred Zoorkhaneh, a domed structure with an octagonal sunken arena and audience seats.

The ritual is lead by the poems and drum beat of their master, who recites poems that “transmit ethical and social teachings” of the Zoorkhaneh literature, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

A man by the name of Pouriya Vali has been credited as the first one to practice this ancient martial art and believed in the philosophy that building moral was more important than building muscle.  

There are currently over 500 groups across Iran that still practice this ancient art today.