Pahlevan of Iran

Pahlevan of Iran (Persian: پهلوان ایران) is a national championship for pahlevani wrestling (koshti pahlavāni) held annually in Iran. Though the competition has ancient roots, its modern form began in 1944.^[1][2]

The champion earns the title of Pahlevan and the right to wear the Bazouband (championship armband). Described as "tangled up with the soul of Iranian peoples", the title is athletically and culturally prestigious in Iran.^[3] The Pahlevan armband was formerly awarded by the Shah of Iran and is now presented by the president of Iran.^[4] Many Pahlevan have gone on to win medals in international competition.

Mostafa Tousi, 3-times winner (1323–25)

Ahmad Vafadar, 3-times winner (1329–31)

Abbas Zandi, with 4 titles (1328, 1332–35) and the youngest Pahlevan ever (18 years old)^[1]

Gholamreza Takhti, 3-times winner (1336–38) was nicknamed Jahan Pahlevan^[1]

Alireza Soleimani has the most titles (6-times in total: 1358,1361–62, 1364–65, 1369) and is nicknamed Pahlevan Bashi  ^[1]

Early Period (651–1450)

Source:^[5]

• Abu Moslem-e Khorasani
• Yaghub-e Layth
• Arslan Isra'il
• Babak khorramdin
• Asad Kermani
• Abdul Razagh Bashtini
• Shirdel Kohneh Savar
• Mahmood Kharazmi (Pahlavan-e Bozorg), was known as Pouriya-ye Vali
• Mohammad Abol-seyyed Abolkheyr
• Mahmood Malani
• Darvish Mohammad Khorassani

Middle Period (1450–1795)

Source:^[5]

• Mirza Beyk-e Kashani
• Beyk-e Khorassani
• Hossein-e Kord^{[citation needed]}
• Mir Baqer
• Jalal Yazdi
• Kabir-e Esfahani (Pahlavan-e Bozorg)
• Kalb Ali Aqa Jar
• Haji Yadollah Rezapoori

Pre-Modern period (1795–present)

Source:^[6]

• Haj Seyyed Hasan Razaz (Pahlavan-e Bozorg), also known as Pahlavan Shoja'at^{[citation needed]}
• Ali Asghar Yazdi
• Haj Reza Qoli Tehrani
• Mohammad Mazar Yazdi
• Shaban Siyah Qomi
• Yazdi Bozrog (Pahlavan-e Bozorg)
• Akbar Khorasani
• Abolqasem Qomi
• Hossein Golzar-e Kermanshahi
• Sadeq-e Qomi
• Mirza Hashem Akbarian Tefaghi, Moblsaz Esfahani^{[citation needed]}
• Yazdi Kuchak (last official Pahlavan of Iran)
• Aziz Khan Rahmani /Kurdistani also known by Sanandaji(Gold Medal in 1945)^{[citation needed]}

List of Modern Pahlevans

Year[1]		Pahlevan	Hometown
Gregorian	Iranian
1944–45	1323	Mostafa Tousi	Khorasan
1945–46	1324
1946–47	1325
1947–48	1326	Ziaeddin Mirghavami	Tehran
1948–49	1327	Abolghasem Sakhdari	Khorasan
1949–50	1328	Abbas Zandi	Tehran
1950–51	1329	Ahmad Vafadar	Khorasan
1951–52	1330
1952–53	1331
1953–54	1332	Abbas Zandi	Tehran
1954–55	1333
1955–56	1334
1956–57	1335	Not Held
1957–58	1336	Gholamreza Takhti	Tehran
1957–58	1337
1957–58	1338
1958–59	1339	Not Held
1959–60	1340	Yaghoub-Ali Shorouzi	Khorasan
1960–61	1341	Mansour Mehdizadeh	Tehran
1342–1343 Not Held
1965–66	1344	Mansour Mehdizadeh	Tehran
1345–1353 Not Held
1975–76	1354	Reza Soukhteh-Saraei	Mazandaran
1355–1357 Not Held
1979–80	1358	Alireza Soleimani	Tehran
1359–1360 Not Held
1982–83	1361	Alireza Soleimani	Tehran
1983–84	1362
1984–85	1363	Mohammad Hassan Mohebbi	Kermanshah
1985–86	1364	Alireza Soleimani	Tehran
1986–87	1365
1987–88	1366	Mohammad Reza Tupchi
1988–89	1367	Mohammad Hassan Mohebbi	Kermanshah
1989–90	1368	Mohammad Reza Tupchi	Tehran
1990–91	1369	Alireza Soleimani
1991–92	1370	Majid Ansari
1992–93	1371	Ayyoub Bani-Nosrat	Azerbaijan
1993–94	1372
1994–95	1373	Mahmoud Miran	Tehran
1995–96	1374
1996–97	1375
1997–98	1376
1998–99	1377	Hamid Ghashang	Khorasan
1999–00	1378
2000–01	1379	Mahmoud Mohammadi	Tehran
2001–02	1380	Amin Rashidlamir	Khorasan
2002–03	1381	Hamid Ghashang
2003–04	1382	Abdolreza Kargar
2004–05	1383
2005–06	1384	Not Held
2006–07	1385	Shahrokh Sedaghatizadeh	Mazandaran
2007–08	1386	Fardin Masoumi	Gilan
2008–09	1387	Amin Rashidlamir	Khorasan
2009–10	1388	Arash Mardani	Lorestan
2010–11	1389
2011–12	1390
2012–13	1391	Jaber Sadeghzadeh	Mazandaran
2013–14	1392	Ahmad Mirzapoor	Khorasan
2014–15	1393	Parviz Hadi	Azerbaijan
2015–16	1394	Jaber Sadeghzadeh	Mazandaran
2016–17	1395	Jaber Sadeghzadeh	Mazandaran

In Shahnameh

Main article: Jahan Pahlavan

Rostam and Sohrab, two of the Pahlevan in Shahnameh

There are many Pahlevan in the epic poem Shahnameh. But the meaning of Pahlavan in Shahnameh is not only attributed to the wrestler. In Shahnameh, the word Pahlevan is referred to its ancient status as a title of honour granted by Shah of Persia. Pahlavan title was granted by the shah to the candidates whom beside their athletic manner, honesty, righteous were brave warrior; and the hero Rostam was given the title of Jahan Pahlavan (Persian: جهان پهلوان), a title higher than Pahlavan, which most recently is used for Gholamreza Takhti.^{[7][circular reference][8][circular reference]}