Deputy Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Mohammad Hassan Talebian, said the nomination proposal for the inclusion of ‘Chogan’ in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage has been submitted to UNESCO on 30 March 2016. The proposal will be presented in UNESCO committee in 2017 after evaluation.
Talebian deemed ‘Zurkhaneh’ martial arts and ‘Chogan’ as ancient Persian sports traces of which can be found in every part of Iran’s ancient history. The oldest Chogan pitch in Iran dates back to Safavid era and is located in Imam Square in Isfahan.
Farhad Nazari, Director General of Iran’s Registry of Sites and Protection and Restoration of Natural and Intangible Heritage Office, said Farahabad and Norouzabad Chogan and equestrian complexes have been inscribed in National Heritage List in 2015 under the index numbers of 31251 and 31410.
Morteza Rezvanfar, who was in charge of compiling files on Chogan, said the sport is a traditional one played while riding on horseback accompanied by local music and narration and storytelling.
“The game goes as far back as 2000 years,” he said. “It was first popular among nomads and was gradually introduced to other parts of the country due to its inherent cultural and social functions.”
He went on to add that the sport part of Chogan has expanded to over 100 countries in the form of polo and this indicates its appeal and significance.
In the past 34 years, Chogan associations have been established in four regions of Tehran, Qazvin, Karaj and Isfahan. Chogan Central Association is located in Tehran.
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