Gulesh
Traditional Azerbaijani wrestling. In 2022 UNESCO inscribed the Azerbaijani Pehlevanliq culture, meaning games, sports and wrestling in the zorkhana.
Quick Facts
AzerbaijanCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Gulesh
About Gulesh
Güləş is traditional Azerbaijani wrestling. In 2022 UNESCO listed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity the element Pehlevanliq culture: traditional zorkhana games, sports and wrestling, which according to UNESCO includes games and sports, such as wrestling, and individual performances. According to UNESCO, the main bearers are pehlevans, men who practice, perform and pass on these skills. The Presidential Library of Azerbaijan says wrestling and gurshagtutma, a type of wrestling, were the main disciplines of zorkhanas and that zorkhanas from the 17th and 18th centuries survive in Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja and Ordubad. According to it, the zorkhana was suppressed under the Bolsheviks because of its religious character, but the practice continued in communities, and after independence in the early 1990s wrestlers appeared far more often. According to the tourism website eurasia.travel, a bout begins with the opponents clashing shoulders three times, and the winner is whoever puts the opponent on both shoulder blades. According to Report.az, the Azerbaijan championship in the national wrestling milli güləş is organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports together with the AMİNA association.
History
UNESCO inscribed the element Pehlevanliq culture at the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee in Rabat, 28 November to 3 December 2022, by decision 17.COM 7.B.42. According to the decision, it was entered in Azerbaijan's national register on 21 September 2017. The Presidential Library of Azerbaijan explains zorkhana as house of courage (zor means strength, khana space) and states that, according to tradition, these games originated in Azerbaijan. According to it, the arena was called kud and lay lower than the spectators' platform. The zorkhana in Icheri Sheher near the Mugham theatre in Baku is protected as a historic monument, and according to the library more than twenty still operate in Tabriz. Zorkhana and wrestling entered physical education programmes in 1992.
How it differs
Green (2001) writes that Azerbaijani and Turkish wrestling resemble Icelandic glima in many ways, especially in the trousers that can be grabbed during throws, whereas in glima there is a belt instead of trousers. AZERNEWS mentions the national wrestling federation, founded in 1993 according to it, in connection with Olympic wrestling.
Technique
According to the tourism website eurasia.travel, wrestlers grab each other by the trousers or legs and use trips and throws. According to it, it is forbidden to grab the throat, punch or kick below the belt, throw an opponent without following through, twist arms, legs or fingers, and push with the head into the opponent's body. It describes the meidan-gazmek warm-up as a ceremonial dance in which wrestlers walk around the carpet, swing their arms, drop to the ground and greet each other with the greeting salam. UNESCO states that pehlevans use equipment resembling medieval weapons, such as swords, shields and bows, but heavier, so that they could originally handle real weapons more easily.
Competition
According to UNESCO, competitions are run by referees and accompanied by music or fast drums. The World Ethnosport Confederation states that a bout lasts five minutes, wrestlers wear loose trousers, a soft belt and soft footwear, a clear win is putting the opponent on both shoulder blades, and otherwise points decide. According to Report.az, the Azerbaijan championship in milli güləş for juniors and adults took place on 16 November 2025 at the Absheron Olympic sports complex and served to select the national team for the following year.
Today
According to UNESCO, the bearers of pehlevanliq culture are men who chose it as a profession. The wider community includes local organisations, coaches, physical education school students, spectators and craftsmen making the equipment. According to UNESCO's decision, the safeguarding measures were prepared by the Ministry of Culture with the Azerbaijan Zorkhana Federation and communities. The Presidential Library states Azerbaijan has been a member of the International Zorkhana Sports Federation since 2007.
Did you know
According to eurasia.travel, wrestlers of old decorated their knees with pieces of mirror to show that they had never touched the carpet with them. The Presidential Library of Azerbaijan states that in 2009 Vugar Gurbanov won the heavyweight at the first zorkhana world championship.
Frequently asked questions
Is güləş inscribed by UNESCO?
In 2022 UNESCO inscribed the Azerbaijani element Pehlevanliq culture, which includes traditional games, sports and wrestling in the zorkhana. UNESCO does not use the word güləş.
What is a zorkhana?
The Presidential Library of Azerbaijan explains the word as house of courage and states that the main disciplines of zorkhanas were wrestling and gurshagtutma. Zorkhanas from the 17th and 18th centuries survive in Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja and Ordubad.
How do you win in güləş?
According to both eurasia.travel and the World Ethnosport Confederation, by putting the opponent on both shoulder blades. According to the World Ethnosport Confederation, otherwise points decide.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.