Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Tournament — Edirne, Turkey
Kırkpınar is a Turkish oil-wrestling (Turkish: yağlı güreş) tournament.
It is held annually, usually in late June, near Edirne, Turkey since 1346.
Description
Before each bout,
the wrestlers pour olive oil over their entire bodies, and the matches take place in an open, grassy field,
with the contestants naked except for trousers made of leather,
which extend to just below the knee.
Victory is achieved when one wrestler either pins the other to the ground
(as in many other forms of wrestling)
or lifts his opponent above his shoulders.
It now holds a Guinness World Record for the longest running sports competition.[citation needed]
History
Oldest known evidence
The history of oil wrestling links back to 2650 BC with evidence from Ancient Egypt, Assyria, and other regions in the Middle East.
The Babylonian body of evidence, a tiny bronze, was excavated near the Chafadji-temple.The bronze clearly concerns oil wrestlers as both athletes are depicted with olive vessels on their head.
The oldest known proof of the existence of
oil-wrestling
in Ancient Egypt is found in limestone from the tomb of Ptahhoteb near Saqqara from the fifth dynasty
(about 2650 BC)
from the same period as the Chafadji-bronze.
Another appealing proof is about 4000 years old and painted like a cartoon in a tomb near Beni Hasan in Egypt.
The deceased,
who occupied this tomb,
is assumed to have been a famous
oil-wrestler in his time.
In the first picture, the greasing of the wrestler and the oil stored in a reed stem is seen.
In the second picture the wrestling starts.
The last picture down shows the three step triumph of oiled wrestling,
which is unchanged to this day. From this the basic rules of the sport can be traced.
Centuries later, the Persian Empire conquered Egypt, and the Persian shah occupied the throne of the Pharaoh's. It was during this period that oil wrestling began in Iran.
Oil-wrestling in Iran
The history of the oil-wrestling tournaments as they are known today links back to the Persian Mythical Era, which, according to Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, started 1065 BC.
The legendary pehlivan of this era is called Rostam, a hero depicted to constantly save his country from evil forces.
The ceremonial start of
oil-wrestling,
called by its Persian name "Peshrev" has clear links with old Iranian institutes as the Zurkhane, literally "house of strength".
The building consists of a court, around which the men who will perform, arrange themselves, and a gallery for the ostad ("master") or morshed (spiritual leader) and the musicians.
Nowadays, the musical accompaniment consists of a drum and recitation of portions of Ferdowsi's Shahname.
and a variety of movements associated with them,
including displays of strength in manipulating heavy objects
(such as weights and chains)
and acrobatics.
Here the origin of the peshrev is found, considered by some to be a warming up and a ceremony to greet the audience,
to others a participatory form of dance.
It is different from the usual step-right, step-left, step-right, kick-left, step-left, kick-right dance encountered in the rest of the region.
Greco-Roman Oil-wrestling
The word "Pehlivan" for a wrestler was first used in this period, when the Parthians (238 BC - 224 AD) expelled the Greeks from Iran.
Huns
The Huns arriving on the fringes of the Roman Empire in the late 4th century,
moved on horseback out of the steppes of Central Asia into Germany and France.
As they approached the Black Sea and conquered the Ostrogoths,
they also drove the Visigoths across the Danube into the Roman Empire and caused the crisis that led to the astounding defeat of the Roman army under the Emperor Valens near Adrianople (Edirne) in 378 AD.
The Huns were fanatic wrestlers as well as horsemen. After securing a strong position on the Roman side of the Danube,
the Huns were checked by the Roman army of general Aspar in Thrace (442).
In 447, Pehlivan Attila came again into Thrace and stopped only when Emperor Thodosius II begged for terms.
During the negotiations,
a Roman-Hun wrestling competition was held in Thermopylae.
The dispute was settled by a wrestling match and winner Attila accepted payment of all tribute in arrears and a new annual tribute of 2,100 pounds of gold and territory south of the Danube.
Three years later Emperor Theodosius died falling from his horse.
His successor, Marcian (450-457), refused to pay Attila.
The Huns decided to leave it, because the sister of the Roman Emperor Valentinian III, Honoria, sent to him her ring and a message to the King of the Huns and asked Attila to become her champion. Atilla agreed to this marriage proposal.
When the sister of the Roman Emperor was put in prison, Atilla decided to take care of her dowry. As Honoria was not available, next year Attila took a new, young bride named Ildico.
The wedding day was spent with one of the greatest wrestling matches of this time.
Oil-wrestling for Sultan and Shah
During the period where Islam was brought into Asia Minor, spirituality and philosophy became part of the physical garment of the pehlivan. Oil-wrestling was established as a sport on its own. In Iran and the Ottoman Empire alike wrestling became the national sport.
In Iran, wrestling grew to the customary institution of the Zurkhane strong house, where people went to socialise and engage in athletic exercise. The wrestler is the strong-man in popular culture (in Persian the term is "big neck"), but he is also the pahlavan, the knightly hero, who is a free-living spirit and is generous and loyal.
The year 1360 is adapted by the organizers of the Edirne Kırkpınar as the date when Ottoman soldiers started to organize annual oil-wrestling tournaments in Kırkpınar, a wrestling field "within the Samona village". According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this legend made Kırkpınar the world's oldest continuously sanctioned sporting competition.
The last bout between the two finalists was told to last through the night as neither was able to defeat the other. They were found dead the next morning, their bodies still intertwined. They were buried underneath a nearby fig tree, whereupon their comrades headed to conquer Edirne.
To commemorate the heroism of the conquering warriors, a wrestling tournament was re-enacted annually at this site, and the oldest sanctioned sporting competition in the world (a still-contested fact) began.
In all tales, myths, and stories, there has always been a common respect for the oil-wrestlers. The pehlivan is described as being stronger than anybody, having a well built body, and clothed in heavy leather pants. From the past until now, the wrestlers have poured olive oil onto their bodies. In addition, it is still possible to see younger wrestlers kissing the hands of older athletes despite having defeated them, which is a gesture of respect.
According to historian Burhan Katia, the word pehlivan was also used for an officer, governor or huge and honest person. From the 16th century on, the term was exclusively used in the Ottoman Empire for the wrestling sportsman.
The 16th century was the time of Süleyman I, known throughout the world as "The Magnificent", even among other significant leaders such as Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor—ruling Spain, Germany and parts of Italy), Henry VIII (the Tudor king of England), and Francis I (Valois King of France).
Süleyman, in his own land known as "Kanuni", the Legislator, reigned between 1520 and 1566, and was succeeded by his son Selim II, for whom Mimar Sinan built the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, considered to be Turkey's most beautiful mosque.
Most importantly, it was the era of Murat III (1546–1595) where the Ottoman Empire reached its largest geographical area in its history.
In 1590, a peace treaty was signed between Murat III and the Persian Shah. The model of the wrestling pants go back to this period. The design is still same for the Iranian "pahlivan" and the Turkish "pehlivan", except the Turkish wrestling pants are made of leather and are called "kispet", while the Iranian pahlivan wears a "pirpet", made of silk.
Famous wrestlers from Iran came to Istanbul to compete with the Ottoman champions, and the Turkish champions were invited to Persia to show their strength.
Collecting strong men
Before 1582, all wrestlers were obtained from prisoners of war, the Devşirme, or other slave sources. With the Devşirme system, the healthiest and strongest young men were recruited from the various provinces of the Ottoman Empire, and pehlivans trained from Devşirme boys were always known to be free enough to be honest, and throughout history trusted for their word and behaviour.
Wrestling championships were held everywhere in the Ottoman Empire. Every city and village had its annual wrestling event, like the one organized in Edirne today. Wrestling occurred in a variety of contexts, including social and ceremonial events. There were wrestling events on religious festival days, during special evenings of the Muslim fasting-month of Ramadan, on agricultural events, circumcisions and weddings. On special occasions, charity wrestling competitions were organized outside the palaces. Only the best wrestlers were accepted in training to become members of the elite Janissary Corps.
Oil-wrestling for French Impératrice Eugenie
When the Ottoman sultan visited France in 1867, oil-wrestlers were part of his entourage and Impératrice Eugenie visited the wrestling-tournament. Wrestling was a tough sport, but oil-wrestling was even harder. It was considered the most difficult sport in the world. In these days, the expression "Fort comme un Turc" (strong as a Turk) revived from the crusade-days.
Virantekke
After the Balkan War of 1912, the location of the original Kırkpınar event was lost. The annual match had to be relocated from Kırkpınar (near Samona) to Virantekke, now the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian border.
Edirne
After 12 years, the annual oil-wrestling competition of the Kırkpınar moved again to another location. Since 1924, bouts are held on the Sarayiçi island near Edirne.
The last Ottoman sultan was exiled to Malta. In what was left over of the Empire, almost everything traditional had to be replaced or westernized. The language was "purified" by replacing words of Persian or Arabic origin with words derived from Turkic roots. Even a sport prevailing any western sport was at stake. Atatürk thought to put the wrestling organizations directly under his own sponsorship. He ordered Selim Sırrı Tarcan (1874–1956) to restyle oil-wrestling according to his guidelines for sport in the new Turkish Republic.
As a result, the winner of the Edirne competition was no longer "Başpehlivan of the Kırkpınar" but "Champion of Turkey". Instead of traditional prizes such as the "Altın Kemer" (Golden Belt) and horses, donkeys, or camels; medals similar to those in the Western world began to be awarded.
It was feared that with such a change of reward "because they did so in Europe" would come a lack of participation from the pehlivans. The officer responsible for sports in the new republic had to come to a compromise, allowing the winning wrestler in the highest category to be awarded the title of "Başpehlivan of the Year", and rewards of whichever animals the organizers could obtain. Selim Sırrı Tarcan also restricted the Golden Belt: It could only be awarded for the Edirne Kırkpınar, and only to a "Turkish Champion" who had won the event for three consecutive years. The weight of the Belt was limited to 1450 gram 14 carat gold.
The Kırkpınar wrestling competitions of Edirne were still held under the protectorate of the "Agha". The agha welcomes his guests and puts them up at the hotel, holds dinners, and organizes festivities. Also, he hands out the prizes to the winners in their categories. Just before the final of the Kırkpınar, the organizing agha holds an auction. The bids are placed on a ram or sheep. The highest bidder becomes the "agha" of the next year's Kırkpınar and is the main sponsor of the event.When in 1928 an economical depression hit Turkey and no agha could be found, Selim Sırrı Tarcan made the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) and the Institute of Child Care (Çocuk Esirgeme Kurumu) responsible for the organization and hosting of the guests.
In the olden days of the event, an agha was able to stop a match, disqualify wrestlers if necessary, and even cancel the wrestling events all together. Today, it is the organizing committee, who makes such decisions. The Red Crescent and the Institute of Child Care would organize the Edirne Kırkpınar for 36 years, after which the task of organizing the event was assigned to the municipality of Edirne.
Edirne Kırkpınar municipality service
In 1964, the mayor of Edirne, Tahsin Sipka, signed an act that the Edirne Municipality was responsible for the organization of the Edirne Kırkpınar. That same year, mayor Sipka made the Edirne Kırkpınar a municipality service.
During a year, about 300 different oil-wrestling games are held in Turkey. They host an average of ten million spectators.
Introduction of time
Until 1975, there was no time limit for wrestling in Kırkpınar. The pehlivans would wrestle sometimes one, or two days, until they could establish superiority over one another. Wrestling games would go on from 9am until dusk and the ones that could not beat each other would go on the next day. After 1975, wrestling was limited to 40 minutes in the başpehlivan category. If there is no winner within these limits, the pehlivans wrestle for 15 minutes with scores recorded. The ones who score the most points in this last period are accepted as the winners. In other categories, the wrestling time is limited to 30 minutes. If there is no winner, 10 minutes of scored wrestling follows.
Federation
On 20 June 1996, the Turkish Federation of Traditional Sport Branches (Geleneksel Spor Dallari Federasyonu) was founded by the Turkish Ministry. Riding, oil-wrestling, aba-wrestling and other traditional sports were assembled in the same federation under Alper Yazoglu.
Oil-wrestling hits Europe in Amsterdam
During the 636th annual Kırkpınar of Edirne, Agha (mc) Hüseyin Sahin agreed with Veyis Güngör, the chairman of Türkevi Amsterdam, and Mohamed el-Fers (MokumTV Amsterdam) that they would unite their forces to promote traditional oil-wrestling in Europe and the world. For three days El-Fers filmed almost every match.
On September 4, 1996, MokumTV started a weekly program on the A1 Amsterdam channel. It proved to be the start of fast growing respect in Europe for this unique and highly esthetic "mother of all sports".
The late Hüseyin Sahin said during his speech, attended by Turkish president Süleyman Demirel, Edirne-mayor Hamdi Sedefçi, Veyis Güngör and Mohamed el-Fers that the Kırkpınar will exceed the borders of Turkey and unite the world.
The champion wrestlers, who attended that 636th Edirne Kırkpınar applauded the news of an Amsterdam Kırkpınar. In his speech at the award ceremony, President Süleyman Demirel said that Turkey would continue to raise world-famous wrestlers.
Veyis Güngör told the press that the enthusiast reactions in Europe proved that this traditional Turkish sport is not only everlasting, but thanks to television and video, is gaining popularity under non-Turkish people as well.The organizers of the coming Amsterdam Kırkpınar received the days after the news was released about 950 letters of oil-wrestlers throughout Turkey, who would enter competition for the title of Euro-champion of the Amsterdam Kırkpınar.
The "Mother of All Sports" came in 1997 for the first ever to Western Europe, when the European Champions League were held in Amsterdam. No less than 22 television teams covered the event, and scenes from the Amsterdam Kırkpınar were shown at CNN and the BBC alike.
The 2nd European Oil-Wrestling Championship held in Amsterdam had already a final with 42 wrestlers from Turkey, the Netherlands and other European countries. Winner was Cengiz Elbeye, Edirne Kırkpınar oil-wrestling champion. Addressing the ceremony held upon the start of the matches, Erkut Onart, the Turkish Consul General in the Netherlands, said that he believed the friendship between the Turkish society and the European countries is intensified when these kinds of cultural values are brought to Europe.
In the world of oil-wrestling, Amsterdam became the most important annual after Edirne.
Special branch
Oil-wrestling was accepted as special branch by the Turkish Olympic Wrestling Federation. Sport and politics, as in 1996 the Turkish Federation of Traditional Sport Branches (Geleneksel Spor Dallari Federasyonu) was official accepted as federation representing oil-wrestling and other traditional Turkish sports.
Anti-doping control
In 1999, anti-doping checks was introduced by the Turkish Olympic Wrestling Federation during the Edirne Kırkpınar.
Foreign oil-wrestler rejected in Edirne
Oil-wrestling is a growing sport, not limited to Turkey only. However, it is difficult for foreign wrestlers to enter this National Turkish Championship. In 2000, Dutch oil-wrestler Melvin Witteveen's entry in Edirne was rejected, while Kadir Yilmaz, beaten by Witteveen some weeks earlier at the Amsterdam Kırkpınar, was allowed to participate due to his double Turko-Dutch nationalities.
As the winners of the categories of the Amsterdam Kırkpınar in the Netherlands are considered to be the European Champions, this means the Amsterdam Kırkpınar tops the Edirne, as the latter is seen as the National championship of Turkey only, repudiating non-Turkish entries.
The event attracted little attention outside of Turkey until the 1990s, when the style of wrestling began to spread to Western Europe. It has become particularly popular in the Netherlands, which now hosts its own annual version of the tournament, attracting participants from throughout Europe. Yağlı güreş wrestling matches are also held in Japan.
Summary/Historical Context
The Kirkpinar oil wrestling festival takes place in Edirne, Turkey. Thousands of people from different age groups, cultures and regions travel every year to see Pehlivan (wrestlers) fight for the Kirkpinar Golden Belt and the title of Chief Pehlivan. Each festival is launched by its patron, the Kirkpinar Aga, in a ceremony featuring forty bands of davul drums and zurna shawms. The golden belt is carried through the city in a procession, followed by prayers recited in the Selimiye Mosque. The wrestling bouts customarily take place at the Mens Field.
The master of ceremonies introduces the Pehlivans to the audience, reciting in verse their names, titles and skills. Next, the oil man oils the wrestlers assisted by the towel holder, before the warm-up exercises and greetings. The wrestlers each wear kispet, thick trousers made of water buffalo or cow leather. As the wrestling takes place, the drum and shawm bands play the traditional repertoire of the festival. Kirkpinar oil wrestling is open to men from all cultures, regions and ages without discrimination between religion, language or race. Pehlivans are considered exemplary figures in society with attributes such as generosity, honesty, respectfulness and adherence to traditions and customs. All Pehlivans are trained in the master-apprentice tradition.
The Experience
In the far northwest Turkish province of Edirne, it’s over 40 degrees at the height of summer, leaving competitors of the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival, as well as the crowd, sobered by the heat. The ancient Ottoman drums beat slowly at first, and the sound mimics the heart rhythms of the two remaining wrestlers (Pehlivans) who are leaning brow to brow in a defiant arch. They are dripping in olive oil; naked save for a pair of water buffalo leather pants (kispet).
On the spacious grassy arena, apply named “Field of the Brave,” the Kirkpinar Oil wrestlers occupy a small patch under the forgiving shade of an enormous Turkish flag. They begin, tactfully and swiftly, reaching for their opponents undergarments. Then, all at once, one wrestler is thrown onto his back, the other becomes a national hero, and the roar of 650 years of tradition fills the stadium.
Kirkpinar means “Forty Springs,” and draws its name from an old Ottoman tale of two brothers. Among 40 warriors sent to capture Rumelia in the 14th Century, one day the brothers began to wrestle each other between victories. After two days, neither brother could be defeated, and they died of exhaustion and were buried at the site under a fig tree. Years later, several great springs appeared there, and thus sprouted the tradition of Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling.
With its deep roots in the proud history and traditions of Turkey, Kirkpinar has been placed on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity list. The three-day Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival continues to this day as the oldest wrestling contest in the world. But thankfully it now has an enforced time limit of 40 minutes.
Each Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling match begins with a ritual of greasing the wrestlers, followed by exaggerated slow-motion marching, and stooped prayer-like prostrations. Whilst the oil-groping wrestlers can initially be awkward for new crowd members, they will soon get over this, and the sudden conclusion to the match comes with the defeated wrestler belly up.
The prized 14-carat “Golden Belt” is gifted to champions. With two wins already under his Kisbet, reigning champion Mehmet Yesil was knocked out in 2011. The crowning of his successor would have likely roused spirits from the original Ottoman legend. Hailing from Turkey’s southern reaches of Antalya, Ali Gurbuz only rose to glory after enduring a finale which drew deep into overtime. Mr Gurbuz was thrown onto the shoulders of an army of fellow warriors. From the stadium and beyond, you could hear his moment of victory as the 40-piece Ottoman band drummed in exhilaration.
About This Festival
Location Unconfirmed
Edirne 25 Kasım Şehir Stadyumu
For nearly 700 years, numerous pehlivan (wrestlers) have converged on Edirne, Turkey for Kirkpinar, an oil-wrestling festival in which of all shapes and sizes, dressed in nothing but kisbet (traditional cowhide trousers) and doused in olive oil, battle it out one-on-one. The last man standing walks away with the Kirkpinar Golden Belt and the title of Chief Pehlivan. This weeklong festival, a UNESCO Intangible Heritage event, draws thousands of onlookers each year, and is said to be the longest-standing annual sporting event in the history of the world.
Let’s Get Physical
The origins of Kirkpinar date back to the 14th century, when Ottoman raiders, bored and in need of diversion, began wrestling in a group of 40 men near modern-day Edirne. Two of the men wrestled through the night, and both died in the midst of the competition, neither having emerged victorious. Their bodies were buried by their comrades beneath a fig tree, and when people arrived at Edirne they noticeda crystal-clear water source around the tree that ran toward Kirkpinar Meadow. They hence named this place Kirkpinar (meaning “40 sources”) saying, “They were forty. They were the first to arrive at this side.”
Today, Kirkpinar continues the tradition of that mystical experience with a competitive festival that, thankfully for the wrestlers, removes the “until death” part. Nevertheless, these wrestlers take what they do quite seriously, most of them having trained as apprentices for years with their own personal masters. Kirkpinar oil wrestling is open to men from all cultures, regions and ages, without discrimination regarding religion, language or race. Pehlivans are considered exemplary figures in society, with attributes such as generosity, honesty, respectfulness and adherence to traditions and customs. They are the heroes in Turkish culture.
Each festival is launched by its patron, the Kirkpinar Aga , in a ceremony featuring 40 bands of davul drums and zurna shawms. The golden prize belt is carried through the city in a procession, followed by prayers recited at the Selimiye Mosque. The wrestling bouts customarily take place at the Men’s Field in Edirne. The master of ceremonies, who can be a verbal cheerleader during the matches (same announcer for the past 50 years), introduces the pehlivans to the audience, reciting their names, titles and skills in poetic verse. Next, the designated “oil man” oils the wrestlers, assisted by the towel holder, before the warm-up exercises and greetings. As the wrestling takes place, the drum and shawm bands play the traditional repertoire of the festival. You’ll feel like you dropped onto the set of a medieval Middle Eastern movie.
Men, Oil & Leather
July is hot in Turkey, but if the wrestlers are bothered by the heat they don’t show it. They confidently eye the competition, mug for the crowd and do the customary thigh-slapping and high-stepping (check out some of the videos below). The competitors greet each other in highly ritualized gestures, bending over to grab each other’s legs and hugging one another, spreading dripping oil around as they do. Early in the festival, up to 20 such pairs litter the field, filling Sarayiçi Er Meydani Stadium with men, oil and leather.
When it’s time for the matches to begin, the wrestlers lock arms and keep their heads close. Lots are drawn beforehand to decide who will compete against whom, so there are no surprises once they make it to the field.Occasionally, when pairs locked in combat break away from one another, they’ll trade slaps to the head. The idea is to make the opponent dizzy, disoriented and less able to shirk off the coming attack.
In case you’re wondering, it’s really hard to grip an enormous man covered in oil. Many pehlivan will grab the drawstrings of their opponent’s trousers for leverage, which is a legal move. They’ll even grab inside trousers, hands to bare butts, trying to grab hold of something. It feels a little like ancient Greece and Spartacus. In keeping with tradition, these matches can drag on without a victor (although 40 minutes is the time limit), in which case the tally of points maintained by a referee determines the winner. The audience generally prefers a real spectacle for the win, however, and once one pehlivan pins another for long enough, the winner kisses the defeated, as is the custom, and the audience, 99% of whom are men, roars in approval.
Turkish oil wrestling
This is one of the most popular sports in Turkey. Yagli gures means literally oiled wrestling. The wrestlers wear tight short leather trousers called "Kispet", made of water buffalo leather weighing approximately 13 kilograms, and they cover themselves with olive oil. Matches take place throughout the country but the most famous and most important tournament takes place in Edirne by the end of June and beginning of July, or at the end of July, every year. In 2016 the matches of the 655th edition were held between 18-24 July. The wrestler Mr. Recep Kara won the final match and holds the title of "bas pehlivan" for the 4th time in his career. The 656th edition of the tournament will be held between 10-16 July 2017.
It's a big fair as well with music and celebrations and it goes on until the morning. Usually lamb roast is a very popular food. In the entertainments, belly dancing is accompanied by Turkish traditional musical instruments 'davul' (drum) and 'zurna' (a type of flute) and singings.
The history of the oil wrestling tournaments links back to the Persian Era, a period starting from 1065 BC according to Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. The legendary pehlivan (wrestler) of this era is Rostam, constantly saving his country from the evil forces.
The word "Pehlivan" for a wrestler was first used in the period when the Parthian (238 BC - 224 AD) expelled the Greeks from Iran.
From this period we can trace the basic rules. During the period Islam was brought into Asia Minor, spirituality and philosophy became part of the physical garment of the pehlivan.Turkish Oil wrestling style became established as a sport on its own during a campaign launched by Ottoman sultan Orhan Gazi to capture Rumeli (Thrace) - the European side of Turkey's Marmara region.
In that time the sultan and his brother, Süleyman Pasha and 40 warriors captured forts in the region of what is now the Greek / Turkish / Bulgarian border. On the place they camped, they started wrestling for fun. Two of them wrestled for hours but neither managed to win. Süleyman Pasha promised the winner a leather pant (kispet) when they would continue their match during the annual Spring festival (May 6), held in Ahirköy.
They wrestled from morning till midnight, became exhausted and both died.
Their friends buried them under a fig tree and left.
When the soldiers visited the burial site years later, they noticed that several springs had sprung up on the site and named the place Kirkpinar (Forty Springs).
In time, they started to organize oil wrestling tournaments and the sport became a tradition in Edirne province.
This city was the capital of the Ottoman Empire for 91 years and is every year the place of the tournament.
The winner at the Edirne Kirkpinar gains around 100.000 US Dollars along with the title "Champion of Turkey." The winning wrestler in this category receives The 'Baspehlivan' of the Year award. The wrestler that obtains this award for three consecutive years receives 1.5 kilograms weight and 14 carat Golden Belt, alongside his gold and cash awards. Banks, companies or individual people that want their advertisement also give cash awards to the wrestlers.
The organizer, Municipal Government of Edirne, distributes both gold and cash awards to the top three's and pays cash to the ones that could not get an award for their travel expenditures.This is called 'yolluk' (for the road). The "baspehlivan" is invited to various wrestling championships.
In Turkey, the oil wrestling season continues for 8 months of a year.
Any wrestler from a traditional upbringing has an apprentice.
The master trains with his apprentice: "cirak," and teaches him the art of oil wrestling. After the master wrestler quits the "arena of the brave," his apprentice continues his tradition.
The wrestlers attend other wrestling championships before coming to Kirkpinar. The referees closely know the technique and mastery of each wrestler. The categories are divided into groups called "boy." In this arrangement, weight is not a deciding factor. A wrestler weighing 120kg might not be allowed to wrestle in the "bas" (head) category. To wrestle in the head category, one must have had a final in "bas alti", one step lover than the "bas" category.
A successful wrestler in regional championships might be allowed to wrestle in the "bas" category if he is found to be superior to his competitors.In Olympic wrestling, holding from the wrestling suit is regarded as a foul. In oil wrestling, most games are made on the kispet.
The wrestlers try to put their hands go through the kispet of their opponents as much as possible.
To a kispet tied well, it is not possible to put a hand or arm through. The pehlivan that can achieve putting his hand through his opponent's kispet, can control him this way and hold from the lower end of his pants, 'paca', and this way can beat his opponent with the game called 'paca kazik'. A younger wrestler defeating an older wrestler would kiss the older wrestler's hand.
Until 1975, there was no time limit to wrestling in Kirkpinar. The pehlivans would wrestle sometimes one, sometimes two days, until they could establish superiority to one another. Wrestling games would go on from 9am in the morning until dusk and the ones that could not beat each other would go on the next day. After 1975, wrestling was limited to 40 minutes in baspehlivan category.
If there is no winner within these limits, the pehlivans wrestle for 7 minutes with scored recorded. The ones that can score points in this last part are accepted as the winners.In other categories, the wrestling time is limited to 30 minutes. If there is no winner after 7 minutes of score wrestling, then at the final stage the first pehlivan who scores a point is the winner, this is called as "golden point".
In 1999 doping control was introduced during the Edirne Kirkpinar.
The final wrestling matches are held on the last day of Kirkpinar, usually the President of Turkey arrives at Edirne on this day to watch the finals. The baspehlivan's prize is given by the President, the "aga" (sponsor), and the mayor.
Just before the finals, the municipality organizes an auction. The bids are placed on a ram. The highest bidder becomes the "aga" of the next year's Kirkpinar and is the number one sponsor. He welcomes his guests and puts them up at the hotel, has big dinners, and organizes festivities. Also, he hands out the medals to the winners in their categories. In Edirne he is able to stop a match, disqualify wrestlers if necessary, and even to cancel the wrestling events all together.
A Turkish businessmen from Trabzon, Mr. Seyfettin Selim, paid 500.000 Turkish Lira as the highest bid (approximately 150.000 Euros) and became the "Aga" of Kirkpinar in 2017 for the 8th time in a row. The "aga of all agas" means the "sultan" of the country.Presidents like Ozal, Demirel and Gul have been among the spectators of Kirkpinar.
Some of the great wrestlers: Kavasoglu Ibrahim the Great, Samdancibasi Kara Ibo, and Alico were head wrestlers (baspehlivan) of the Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz. Alico established an unbreakable record of being "Baspehlivan" in Kirkpinar for 27 years. The Sultan, Abdulaziz took Kavasoglu and Samdancibasi on his trip to France and England. Yusuf the Great (Koca Yusuf), Kurtdereli, Adali, Kucuk Yusuf (Huseyin) and Dobrucali Yusuf Mahmut wretled in Europe and America, and were known around the world. Another wrestler, Kara Ahmet took the world champion title in 1899 in Paris.
Why Do They Apply the Oil?
For many years the practitioners of the sport of wrestling have prepared in religious settlements. The first wrestling sketches were found in Egypt in Beni Hasan temple which was built five thousand years ago. In Central Asia, religious men called "shamans," and "dai" have been involved with wrestling. In the Ottoman Empire wrestlers were brought up in religious environments called "tekke" for seven hundred years. Just like five thousand years ago, Japanese Sumo Wrestling and Turkish Kirkpinar carries over the religious motifs of the past.
Man is not simply made of matter, the other half of the human equation is our spirit and spiritual being. Wrestling without the spiritual relationship has been accepted to be harmful for the improvement of the human character.The wrestlers oiling each-other is a signification of the importance of "balance" in such competitions.
According to English thinker Bertrand Russel, the Roman Empire collapsed due to the infected mosquitoes that spread Malaria.
In those times, living at sea level, to 400m above sea level was close to impossible.
When humans learned to mix a specific ingredient "kafur" with olive oil for full protection from mosquitoes, the Roman Empire was long gone. The people of Anatolia who spent day by day applying olive oil on to their bodies, continued to wrestle with their bodies oiled, and a new style of wrestling surfaced from this condition: "oil wrestling."
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Muhammad Younis
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