Ancient Armenian Wrestling –“Kokh”

Day 3,147, 02:35 • Published in Armenia Georgia • by Rodica Bostanica

The national Armenian wrestling style “Kokh” is considered one of the oldest forms of wrestling. Its ancient history is attested by numerous travelers to Armenia. Persians came in contact with Kokh early on through contact with Armenians. During the middle ages the French investigator Henry Chardin also wrote about Kokh. Illustrations of Kokh, can equally be observed on the walls of the medieval Armenian Cathedral of Akhdamar (915 AD). Armenian wrestling was famed in the ancient world. The Armenian King Tiridates III (250-330 AD) himself at the 265th Olympiad (281 AD) became an Olympic Champion in wrestling.

During the Soviet Union, Kokh began to fall out of usage. Until at least 1988 Kokh has been practiced in the rural areas of Armenia. The popular Soviet combat system Sambo, was intensely influenced by the Armenian Kokh. Today modest attempts are made to preserve this ancient Armenian martial art.

There exist two main types of Kokh, one known as “Lori Kokh” the other “Shirak Kokh”. The main difference between the two styles concern grabbing rules and outfit. In Shirak Kokh wrestlers are topless wearing only traditional Armenian pants and are allowed to grab the legs of the opponent. In Lori Kokh, fighters wear traditional robes and have to grab the opponents robe to throw or push them out. In the ancient times Kokh was common during weddings. Two fighters from the sides of the bride and groom would wrestle each other.




Armenian national wrestling Kokh on a Soviet postmark

Rules:

The person who first throws the opponent on his back (thus performing the “kokh”) without boosting and/or turning him, wins. The victor has to hold the opponent to the ground by pressing with his knee. Pushing the opponent out of the mat, which has a radius of 7-9 meters, also results in winning. Although there is no time limit, a Kokh fight usually lasts from 5 to 10 minutes. Every fight starts with a ceremonial warm-up dance, lasting for at least half a minute. The fights are always accompanied by traditional Armenian folk music. According to the rules, after a successful victory, on request of the public, judges and participants the winner has to perform a traditional victory dance.