The scent of Mozaffarian is one of the activists in the field of women who has done serious and effective activities in breaking stereotypes about masculinity and ancient sports. She has obtained confirmation from authorities to ensure that women interested in this national sport can participate in the Zurkhaneh without any obstacles, and has written articles on this subject. In her article “The Warriors of Avesta with Sohrabians,” she discusses the religious and national background of ancient sports and the opinions of experts. We also talked to her about the current situation of women’s presence in this sport and the activities that have been done, which will be discussed below.

You have been working for years against the obstacles to women’s presence in gyms and their participation in the field of ancient sports. Tell our audience more about this and how did you become interested in this sport?

In response to this question, I must say that advocating for women’s rights and removing barriers and obstacles in front of them has been a social concern for years, and it has been the basis of many of my activities. Generally, my efforts over the years have been focused on uncovering the reasons behind any obstacles for women and finding solutions for them. In my opinion, every barrier must have a logical justification, and considering that we live in an Islamic country, these obstacles are often religious or legal barriers. Specifically, I work against the barriers that prevent women from participating in traditional sports such as wrestling. The idea of women participating in these sports was not commonly accepted before, but I started my activities in this field in 1990. During an interview with the head of the Wrestling and Pahlavani Sports Association in Fars province, he mentioned that there were women who were interested in participating in this sport and had requested to train and learn. These women were doing heavy exercises and even performing

What steps have you and other women activists taken so far to remove these obstacles?

The issue is that the plan for reforms, as the first step in removing obstacles, is actually the driving force towards solutions. The initial question that comes to mind is why women’s presence is prohibited or necessary, which in itself is a way to find reasons and solutions, step by step, to address the issue and open up the discourse. In fact, after raising this question, we tried to find out what are the requirements and assumptions for women’s presence in gyms. Many of our pioneers in this sport, and even young people who have a background in weightlifting in their families, are against women’s presence in this sport. According to them, this sport has a long history and dignity, and the weightlifting pit is sacred, using words that show that for those who are eager to participate in this sport, it is not a matter of concern. In fact, this ancient sport, which has been sanctified for years, needs to be desanctified so that everyone can participate

In your opinion, to what extent have gender stereotypes and taboos in Iran affected women’s professional sports?

In the past, there were women who were candidates or judges for the positions of head of traditional sports and wrestling federations, but the pressure from the elders and, I should say, the resistance of the old-fashioned thinkers forced the federation to retreat and these positions were taken away from women. The efforts of the head of the traditional and wrestling sports federation to promote the presence and activities of women and convince the elders of this field have been unsuccessful so far, due to the highly male-dominated atmosphere. Our elders still believe that the arena of wrestling is sacred and women have no right to step into it. If the current trend continues and we are late to take action, in case an international federation is formed for this sport, Iran will not be able to participate in international competitions due to the necessity of having a women’s committee. Therefore, we are trying to convince the federation to train and involve women in this field for the future when this sport will be presented internationally.

Have there been any examples of women in history who have had activity in this field?

This sport, known as “Zurkhaneh”, is a combination of recitation and reading from the Shahnameh (Book of Kings). Those who participate in this sport constantly recite religious verses. Part of this sport is dedicated to the heroic deeds of Imam Ali, while another part focuses on the memories and stories of the Imams. Zurkhaneh is a rare form of athletic and musical sport that has been practiced since ancient times. It combines music with various physical exercises such as spinning, swimming, and weightlifting. Different styles of weightlifting, originating from Iran and spreading to India, are also included in this sport.

Zurkhaneh is a sport rooted in epic and literature, and its equipment and tools are inspired by weapons used in battles. Each of the tools used in this sport symbolizes a weapon mentioned in epic poems. For example, the mace represents the club, the wooden board represents the sword, and the stone represents the shield. As we

What are the obstacles for women’s participation in this sport? How prominent do you think the role of religious restrictions and hijab is in this matter?

We consulted with religious authorities who have stated that as long as the religious guidelines are followed, there is no issue with women participating as athletes in this field and women are allowed to be present and active. In my opinion, all of these are very important. Nevertheless, currently women in Iran participate in sports with hijab and the religious issues regarding hijab and dress code in this field can also be resolved.

What is the historical level of involvement and connection of women with this sport? Currently, are there many women interested in entering this field or do you know their number to be few?

Many women are volunteers in this field. I should also mention that from the past until now, there have been pioneers who, before their daughters reached puberty and faced legal issues regarding their presence in male environments, took their children to gyms by force. Many of these girls now know the main movements, or even mothers who have sat and watched their children’s sports in gyms for years. In national competitions, we had an example of a mother who recognized the referee’s mistake, requested a video check, and ultimately her son was able to win first place. It is interesting that mothers whose sons are active in this field are so familiar with this sport, but unfortunately, despite their many abilities, their talents are overlooked.

As a final question, are you hopeful for the removal of these restrictions and improvement of the sports space in the near future?

I feel that just by opening up this discussion and raising the question of why women should be present, what barriers exist, and what solutions there are to overcome them, we are taking a step forward. Because if these issues were not raised, naturally there would not be an opportunity to examine them or even address this topic. In my opinion, we are at the beginning of the road and there is a lot of resistance towards women in this sport. Not governmental or political resistance, but resistance from individuals who are involved in this field. The biggest argument used by pioneers is that women have not been present in gyms for all these years. There are also some who say it is ridiculous to call a woman a wrestler, for example Maryam Pahlavan or Saghar Pahlavan. In my view, this strange mindset, as they call it, also eliminates the time when we use words like “gushtsab” (strong wrestler) for them. How is it that we refer

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