Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling: Why Edirne, Turkey is Worth Visiting
Turkish Oil-Wrestling Festival: Kırkpınar 2011, Edirne Turkey
세계 무술[Martial Arts]- 터키 오일레슬링(Turkish Oil Wrestling. Kırkpınar, yağlıgüreş)
세계전통무술 시리즈 1편 - 터키 오일레슬링 [Kırkpınar oil wrestling festival]
세계문화유산인 터키 오일레슬링에 대한 영상, 터키에 가면 꼭 보아야 할 것 중 하나!!
Edirne Kirkpinar 2014 Oil Wrestling
YAĞ GÜREŞ - Turkish Oil Wrestling
Turkish Oil Wrestling - Yağlı Güreş: Kırkpınar, Edirne, Turkey 2004
Turkish Oil Wrestling Edirne Kirkpinar 2011
Kirkpinar Geleneksel Türk Yağlı Güreş 2011
Cemal Seçkin vs Serdar Doruk
Turkish Oil Wrestling - Warm-ups at Edirne
artofwrestling.com: 657. Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, Day 2, 2018, Edirne, Turkey
The biggest Traditional Turkish Oik Wrestling Tournament in the world
657. Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, Day 2, 2018, Edirne, Turkey
657. Kırkpınar Yağlı Güreş Turnuvası, Gün 2, 2018, Edirne, Türkiye
artofwrestling.com: 657. Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, Day 1, 2018, Edirne, Turkey
artofwrestling.com:
657. Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, Day 1, 2018, Edirne, Turkey
657. Kırkpınar Yağlı Güreşleri, Gün 1, 2018, Edirne
artofwrestling.com : 657. Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, Day 3 2018, Edirne, Turkey
artofwrestling.com: 657. Kırkpınar Oil-Wrestling Day 3, 2018, Edirne Turkey
657. Kırkğınar Yağlı Güreşleri, Gün 3, 2018, Edirne Türkiye
music: royalty free
Muscular Turkish Men Oil Wrestling
Oil wrestling
Oil wrestling (Turkish: yağlı güreş), also called grease wrestling, is the Turkish national sport. It is so called because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. The term güreş is shared with other forms of wrestling practiced by Turkic-speakers across Europe and Central Asia, such as the Uzbek kurash, Tuvan khuresh and Tatar köräş. The wrestlers, known as pehlivan (Persian: پهلوان meaning hero or champion) wear a type of hand-stitched lederhosen called a kisbet (sometimes kispet), which is traditionally made of water buffalo hide, and most recently has been made of calfskin.
Unlike Olympic wrestling, oil wrestling matches may be won by achieving an effective hold of the kisbet. Thus, the pehlivan aims to control his opponent by putting his arm through the latter's kisbet. To win by this move is called paça kazık. Originally, matches had no set duration and could go on for one or two days until one man was able to establish his superiority, but in 1975 the duration was capped at 40 minutes for the baspehlivan[clarification needed] and 30 minutes for the pehlivan category. If there is no winner, play continues for another 15 minutes—10 minutes for the pehlivan category, wherein scores are kept to determine the victor.
The annual Kırkpınar tournament, held in Edirne in Turkish Thrace since 1362, is the oldest continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world.[citation needed] Oil wrestling festivals also take place in northern Greece in the Eastern Macedonia (Serres region) and West Thrace (Rhodope Mountains).[1][2][3][4] In recent years, this style of wrestling has also become popular in other countries, particularly the Netherlands and Japan.
History
Cognate forms of folk wrestling practiced by Turkic-speakers are found throughout Western Eurasia (i.e. Europe and Central Asia) under the names Köraş, Khuresh, Kurash, etc.
A game of oil wrestling in the gardens of the Topkapi Palace
Oil wrestling can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa -- the most notable of which are Assyria and Egypt.[5] Greco-Roman traditions also point to the practice of oil wrestling.[6]
Turkish wrestlers started covering themselves according to Islamic law (between the navel and the knees) after the 10th century.[citation needed] The Turkish word for wrestling can be traced back to the old Oghuz Turkic languages, which originate from the Eurasian steppes, where wrestling has also been practiced. After the conquest of Anatolia by Seljuk Turks, a form of traditional freestyle wrestling called karakucak (literally black hug) was popularized, where special leather clothing was sanctioned and wrestlers commenced the activity by pouring olive oil on their bodies in order to make it harder for the wrestler grip one's opponent. This form continued to what is today known as Yağlı Güreş or Turkish oil wrestling. In the Ottoman Empire, wrestlers learned the art in special schools called tekke (تکیه), which were not merely athletic centres, but also spiritual centres
Oil wrestling in Alantepe
Wrestlers oil one another prior to matches as a demonstration of balance and mutual respect. If a man defeats an older opponent, he kisses the latter's hand (a sign of respect for elders in Turkey).
Matches are held all over Turkey throughout the year, but in early summer, around 1000 competitors gather in Kırkpınar for an annual three-day wrestling tournament to determine who will be the baspehlivan (chief wrestler) of Turkey. Ottoman chroniclers and writers[who?] attest that the Kırkpınar Games have been held every year since 1362, making them the world's oldest continually sanctioned sporting competition.[dubious – discuss] The games have been cancelled only about 70 times. The original site was some 35 kilometres (22 mi) distant. In 1924, they were moved to the present location after the Balkan War.
There are some organized oil wrestling competitions outside Turkey, particularly by the Royal Dutch Power Sport Federation (KNKF Koninklijke Nederlandse Krachtsport en Fitnessfederatie) in the Netherlands.
Turkish Oil Wrestling
Oil wrestling, also called grease wrestling, is the Turkish national sport. It is so called because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil.
The annual Kırkpınar tournament, held in Edirne in Turkish Thrace since 1362, is the oldest continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world.
Turkish Oil Wrestling in Edirne
Mission Completed! For this FUNraiser mission we originally planned to simply oil wrestle in front of the Kırkpınar stadium in Edirne, Turkey.
When we arrived we met the super nice folks from AZ 81 SPOR KULÜBÜ (AZ 81 Sports Club). They invited us inside the stadium to wrestle with them! It is like playing baseball in the Yankee Stadium! FYI, both Graham and myself (Kenneth) have no experience in wrestling at all.
Then all of a sudden a TV crew from AHBR showed up and we were on Turkish television being interviewed!
A HUGE THANK YOU for AZ 81 SPOR KULÜBÜ in Edirne for giving us this tremendous experience! It is our utmost honor to be able to wrestle on the sacred field of Kırkpınar stadium.
Together with our pledgers' generous donations and our silly elbow grease, we together save over 8.25 acres of rainforest in Peru!
Teşekkür Ederim (Thank You)!
Check out our other FUNraiser missions here:
654th Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Turkey
EDIRNE, TURKEY - JULY 26: Wrestler Orhan Okulu wins the competition against Osman Aynur during the final competition of 654th annual Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Edirne, Turkey on July 26, 2015. The 654th Historical Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Champion Orhan Okulu takes bubble bath at a Turkish bath after putting on his golden belt. The annual tournament, which started Friday in Edirne province neighboring Greece, is the oldest sanctioned sporting competition in the world, held in the same province since 1362. ...
656th Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Turkey
656th Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Turkey
656th Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Turkey
Young wrestlers 40 kg Caner Garip and 111 kg Berke Orus compete despite weight difference on the first day competition of the 656th Kirkpinar oil wrestling festival at contest field in Edirne, Turkey on July 174, 2017.
Garip wept after defeated by his rival. Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling annual festival is one of the oldest wrestling festivals in the world.
Oil wrestling is a type of wrestling where the wrestlers (pehlivan) wear leather pants (kispet) tied with a rope at the waist and cuff, and compete on grass after being covered in olive oil.
Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling championship in Turkey. CNN's Ivan Watson reports
Turkish traditional gladiator fighting.
CNN Aug 09, 2014
Turkey's traditional Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling competition kicks off for 657th time
Turkey’s longest-running traditional sports event, Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling competition, has started in the northwestern province of Edirne.
654th Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Turkey 1
EDIRNE, TURKEY - JULY 25: Wrestlers take part in competition wearing only a pair of leather trousers and a good slick of olive oil during the 654th annual Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Edirne Turkey's Greece border city, on July 25, 2014. Thousands of people from different age groups, cultures and regions travel every year to see the festival. ...
Men doused in oil battle it out at championship
(8 Jul 2019) LEAD IN:
Wrestlers glistening with olive oil sparred for hours in a grassy field in Turkey's north western Edirne province this weekend.
The men were competing in the 658th instalment of the annual Historic Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling championship - the country's most prestigious event of its kind.
STORY-LINE:
Two well-built men doused in oil battling it out in a grassy field.
And it's no easy task.
The olive oil that covers their bodies from head to toe makes it impossible to get a grip, leading to one of the sport's trademark moves where one opponent thrusts his hands into the other's trousers for an advantage.
Accompanied by the sound of zurna (flute) and drums, their aim is to pin their opponent to the ground.
Oil wrestling is considered one of the world's oldest sports, reportedly dating back to the 14th century.
There are about 120 oil wrestling festivals in Turkey but Kirkpinar is the Olympics of oil wrestling, it's the summit, says Recep Gurkan, mayor of the city of Edirne.
Competitors vie for the title of 'chief wrestler' - the 'world champion' of the sport, says Gurkan.
Wrestlers, called 'pehlivan' in Turkish, douse themselves in ample olive oil in preparation for the showdown.
They strut onto the arena wearing only capri leather trousers, or 'kispet,' which can themselves weigh several kilos.
Musicians play traditional instruments and spectators cheer as the gladiators try to pin their opponent.
The sport's popularity has grown in recent years.
Ten years ago when I was game master, there were about 700, 800 wrestlers and now there are 2,500 wrestlers, says Seyfettin Selim, the 659th Game Master of Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling.
Competing for the main prize in 2019's finals are Ali Gurbuz and Orhan Okulu - both previous titleholders and both from the southern province of Antalya.
Gurbuz pins down his opponent some 50 minutes into the spar, earning him the honour of 'chief wrestler' and keeper of the golden belt - at least until next year.
Find out more about AP Archive:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Google+:
Tumblr:
Instagram:
You can license this story through AP Archive:
654th Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Turkey 2
EDIRNE, TURKEY - JULY 25: Wrestlers compete on June 25, 2015, during the 654th annual Kirkpinar oil wrestling tournament in Sarayici, near Edirne, in western Turkey. In Kirkpinar, the competitors are drenched in olive oil from head to toe and wear leather trousers. Footage by Cihan Demirci / Anadolu Agency .