Persian Polo "Chogan"

The ball no question makes of ayes or noes,
But right and left as strikes the player goes;
And he that tossed you down into the field,
He knows about it all. He knows, He knows.
Omar Khayyam, 11th Century Persian poet

"The game of polo is played on horseback with a stick (mallet) and ball. The earliest records of polo are Persian; there is evidence that it was played at the time of King Darius the Great (522- 486 B.C.). 

Persian polo is described in Sir Anthony Shirley's Travels to Persia (1613)"
[Encyclopedia Britannica]. 
Polo was invented and first played in Iran (or ancient Persia) thousands of years ago. The original name of polo is "Chogan" and in Iran the game is still referred to as "Chogan". From its Iranian origins in Persia it spread to Constantinople, and eastward through Bactria and Afghanistan to Tibet, China, and Japan, and from Tibet to India, where it flourished throughout the Mughal dynasty. 

Polo was the world's first team sport, the world's first ball game, and today is recognized as the world's fastest team sport and ball game. The first recorded game took place in 600 BC, in Ancient Persia. Throughout history, the game has been a popular among generals, warriors, princes, and kings as a means of training cavalry for warfare.

In an interesting message to Alexander of Macedonia (356-323 BC) from the Achaemenid Iranian King Darius III (336-330 BC), Darius sent a polo mallet and a ball to Alexander along with a letter telling him that instead of warmongering he should play polo. 

In the 4th century AD, Shah Shapoor II, the Sassanid King of Persia was known to have learned to play the game at the age of seven. There are also numerous accounts of polo matches played between another Sassanid Iranian Shah, Khosrow Parviz and the 
Armenian princess, Shireen. During Khosrow's reign polo was known to be particularly popular among the ladies of the Persian court. 

In the 16th century AD, a polo ground (300 yards long and with goal posts 8 yards apart) was built by Shah Abbas the Great, at Esfahan, then the capital of the Safavid Persian Empire. The Iranian monarch would watch polo matches from his terrace at the Ali Ghapu Palace. The polo field, which was called "Meydan Naghsheh Jahan" still exists today and its dimensions are the standard for polo fields across the globe.

The Mughals took the game from Persia to the east in India and by the 16th century. In the 1850s the British discovered the game in Manipur on the Burmese border with India. From there, the English spread the game to Europe and the rest of the Western world. 

Polo has a long and colorful record in Iran. Persian poets have long celebrated the glory of the game in their poetry. Poetic writings speak eloquently of the beauty, excitement, and thrill of the game. The 12th century Persian poet Nizami wrote the following verse: 

The horizon is the edge of your polo field,
the earth is the ball in the curve of your polo stick.
Until you are blotted out of existence as the dust,
gallop and press on your horse for the ground is yours

Nizami also describes a polo match played between Khosrow Parviz and his court and Shireen and her court in his "Khosrow and Shireen" which is a romantic description of the love affair between King Khosrow of Persia and Princess Shireen in the form of poetry.
Omar Khayyam, the Iranian philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, and poet used polo as a means of making his philosophical points. Dinvari, the 9th century Persian astronomer 
and historian, offered general rules for the game, which included the avoidance of strong language and an attempt at patience. In the "Shahnameh" (Epic of Kings) by the Persian poet Firdausi (934 - 1020 AD) "Chogan" is described as a game between two teams, each of seven players in which the objective is steal the "Guye" (ball) and take it to other end of the "Meydan" (polo field) to gain victory.In the "Ghaboosnameh" by Kikavoos Ibn Iskander Ibn Ghaboos (11th Century Iranian Writer), polo is described to be game between teams of eight players in which six players position themselves in the midfield area of the polo field and the two remaining players place themselves near the ends of the field.

Virtually every notable Persian poet since the time of the Sassanids has made some sort of a reference to the sport of polo.  Today, artists painting in the traditional Persian miniature style
extensively feature polo in their works. 

Due to its extensive history in Iran and the fact that the game was first played in Ancient Persia, Iranians recognize polo as part of their cultural heritage. Iranians take great pride in the fact that they created such a beautiful game that it is now played across the globe and by all peoples.

With respect to above description about Polo (Chogan), we have a very nice short time show of Persian Polo during the festival.

24 October 2007