MAY 03, 2025
Esfahan is preparing to once again hold Chogan, a traditional horse-riding game accompanied by music and storytelling, in Naqsh-e Jahan Square.
The game is commonly known around the world as polo. The word “polo” comes from the Tibetan word for the willow root from which polo balls were made, which is “Pulu.”
Chogan, which is a traditional horse-riding game accompanied by music and storytelling, has a history of over 2,600 years in Iran and has mostly been played in royal courts and urban fields.
Chogan is believed to be the world’s first team sport and today is recognized as the world’s fastest team sport and ball game. The first recorded game took place in 600 BCE in Persia.
From time immemorial, it was considered an aristocratic game and held in a separate field, on specially trained horses. Evidence suggests the game spread from its Iranian origins to Constantinople, eastward through Bactria and Afghanistan to Tibet, China and Japan, and from Tibet to India, where the British took it up and spread it throughout their empire.
