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In the wee hours of the morning of September 1st, 1962, while people were sound asleep, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked the Iranian city of Buyin-Zahra. In the midst of the rumbling chaos – and fervid panic – a man stepped out into the streets of
But who was Takhti? His accomplishments include unparalleled achievements for an Iranian athlete. Takhti was the first Iranian wrestler to ever win an international medal, and through wrestling, he would win a grand total of ten international medals. However, it was not only Takhti’s medals that caused a nation to adore him. Takhti was part myth. The people called him Jahan Pahlavan, which is the same title revered Persian poet Ferdosi gave to his mythical Pahlavan, “Rostam,” in the Shah’nameh. Pahlavans are both folkloric and real heroes; champions of combat and wrestling, and Jahan Pahlavan can arguably be interpreted to mean world champion, but it really is a near-mystical pre-Islamic ranking in the Iranian army given to but a few. Put simply, Takhti was the embodiment of Iranian history and literature.
Takhti was the last great icon of Varzesh-e Pahlavani, a very potent combat style. Throughout Persian history, Pahlavans stood strong against foreign invaders and even domestic injustice. Pahlavans are known to patrol villages and entire cities to maintain peace and justice. Pahlavans not only adhered to strict physical training, but also followed a code of ethical and philosophical values. These values included fairness, generosity, and humility.
With the true essence of a Pahlavan, Takhti blended rigid masculinity with ultimate chivalry and love for people. After beating the Russian world champion in a match, Takhti saw the devastated look on the face of the Russian’s mother. He walked up to her and complimented her for having such a wonderful son. She smiled. However, Takhti always blended his kindness with athletic prowess. During several matches, Takhti would refuse to use an arm or leg to be on equal footing with an injured opponent. Sometimes, Takhti would refuse to attack his injured opponent’s point of injury. He competed with honor and won most of his matches. One can say that during his life, Takhti’s heart would beat ink from Ferdowsi’s mystical pen – he was a walking legend. Part of Takhti’s mythical status is what makes learning about him difficult. Stories would follow him wherever he went.
One popular story stands out from the rest. One day, on Takhti’s training grounds, a one-armed wrestler came towards Takhti and kept taunting Takhti. Takhti refused to wrestle the man because the would-be opponent only had one arm. However, after several more minutes of taunting, Takhti agreed to wrestle the man, but in an interesting manner. Takhti ordered his trainer to tie one of his arms behind his back. Takhti would not fight when he had a clear and unfair advantage. Takhti won the match.
To this day, Takhti is honored by
Takhti’s mysterious death at age 37 in 1968 has been officially listed as a suicide, however, many believe his death to be a political assassination. The popular belief was that Takhti, known for his anti-governmental views, had become too big for the Kingdom. At the opening of one of his matches, the Shah’s brother walked into a packed stadium to a quiet applause. When Takhti entered, the sound of the crowd is roaring standing ovation was deafening. Obviously, Takhti had surpassed the Shah’s popularity. But whatever or whoever killed Takhti, one thing is clear – we lost our Rostam.
The titles of Takhti are:
1951
1952 Helsinki- Fenland Olympic Games - Silver
1954
1956
1958
1958 Sofija –
1959
1960
1961
1962
