Zurkhaneh, the traditional Iranian “house of strength,” represents more than a setting for physical exercise. Its ritual practices integrate bodily training, heroic narratives, music, religious symbolism, hierarchical etiquette, and ethical instruction. This review examines the philosophical and cultural foundations through which Islamic moral values, the tradition of futuwwa or javanmardi (chivalry), Shi’i symbolism, Sufi ethical concepts, and older Iranian traditions have been interpreted within Zurkhaneh sport and architecture. The study adopts a qualitative library-review approach and critically synthesizes historical scholarship, peer-reviewed research, reference works, and cultural-heritage documentation concerning Pahlavani and Zurkhaneh traditions. Particular attention is given to the relationship between ethical instruction and architectural form, including the sunken gowd, the sardam of the morshed, ritual hierarchy, symbolic sporting instruments, poetry, music, and collective practice. The review indicates that Zurkhaneh culture historically linked strength with humility, self-restraint, generosity, loyalty, respect for elders, protection of the vulnerable, and service to the community. These values are closely related to the ethical vocabulary of futuwwa/javanmardi and, in later Iranian contexts, to Shi’i devotion and the exemplary status attributed to Imam Ali. At the same time, the historical origins of the institution remain contested; similarities with older Iranian and Mithraic traditions should therefore be treated as interpretive hypotheses rather than as evidence of an uninterrupted institutional genealogy. Contemporary scholarship likewise shows that Zurkhaneh has evolved substantially over time. The continuing significance of the institution lies not in reproducing a fixed historical form, but in understanding how architecture, ritual, physical training, collective memory, and moral education can operate together. This integrated model provides a useful basis for discussing ethical formation in sport while avoiding romanticized contrasts between traditional and modern athletic practice.
