the traditional persian style of grappling was known as koshti, with the physical exercise and schooled sport known as varzesh-e bastani. it is said to be traceable back to arsacid parthian times (132 bce - 226 ce), and is still widely practiced today in the region. following the development of sufi islam in the 8th century ce, varzesh-e pahlavani absorbed philosophical and spiritual components from that religion. other historical grappling styles from the region include turkic forms such as kurash, köräş and yağlı güreş.