Oil wrestling

Oil wrestling (Turkish: Yağlı güreş) is a type of sport in Turkey.^[1] It began as a folk sport but has since become a national sport. Oil wrestling has been happening in Turkey since at least the 14th century.^[2] The sport is also practised by Turkish people in Bulgaria,^[3] Romania, North Macedonia,^[4] Northern Cyprus and Greece.^[5] Albanians and the Gorani from Kosovo and Albania^[6] also have a tradition of oil wrestling, It begain during the occupation by the Ottoman Empire. The Gorani hold an oil wrestling festival In the city of Dragash each year.^[7][8]

Kırkpınar oil wrestling festival
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Oil wrestling tournament in Istanbul
Country	Turkey
Reference	386
Inscription history
Inscription	2010 (5th session)

In Turkey

Oil wrestling takes place all year in Turkey. The largest event is the Kirkpinar festival.^[2] It takes place in the city of Edirne, Turkey^[9] each summer. The Kirkpinar Festival has taken place in Edirne since 1361. The judges are normally men from the Romanlar communitiy of Turkey.^[10] The first festival took place in 1346.^[2] At the festival, the best "pehlivan" (wrestler) is chosen.

Before the match, the wrestlers are covered in olive oil. This makes it hard to grab each other. It is common for the wrestlers to put their hand in the kispetof the other person.^[2] The kispet are pants made from the leather of a water buffalo.^[11] The cuffs of the pants are just below the knees The wrestlers put their hands in the pants of the other person or use the cuffs to get more leverage.^[12] The goal of the wrestling is to have the other person laying on the ground on their back.^[13][14][15] In the past, there was no time limit for matches. wrestlers could fight for days without a winner.^[2] Modern matches have a time limit of 40 minutes. In the case of a tie, there is an additional 7 minute period.^[13]

References

1. "Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival - GoTürkiye".
2. Martial (11 August 2018). "Greasy Grappling - The Bizarre Turkish Oil Wrestling!". MartialTribes. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
3. "Bulgaria Oil Wrestling | 38 images • NurPhoto Agency".
4. "Heroes Doused with Oil • Dobredojde Macedonia Welcome Centre". 5 September 2017.
5. "Oil Wrestling Competition Takes Place in Sochos". 2 July 2018.
6. Eugeniy Bakhrevskiy (2019). "History and Actual Image of Oil Wrestling" (PDF). International Journal of Ethnosport and Traditional Games. 2 (2): 12–36. doi:10.34685/HI.2020.75.15.002 (inactive 2024-11-02). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-03-20.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
7. Todd Wasse (September 2011). "The Mountains of Dragash / Dragaš, Kosovo: Hiking and Nature Tourism Guide" (PDF). UNDP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
8. "Dragash Stock-Fotos und Bilder - Getty Images". www.gettyimages.de. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
9. "Edirne: Hpme of Oil Wrestling". Anatolia Travel Services. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
10. Aydemir Ay (2010). "Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
11. Cox, Mr (2021-09-23). "yağlı güreş". The HaPenis Project. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
12. "Turkish Oil Wrestling : Strictly for Straight Men". 9 September 2015.
13. "Everything You Could Want To Know About Turkish Oil Wrestling". Justhooit. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
14. "12 Facts About Turkish Oil Wrestling Festival – UNESCO Cultural Heritage". Visit Turkey. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
15. "Turkish Oil Wrestling". All About Turkey. Retrieved 19 March 2022.

Other websites

• Oil wrestling photos at Shutterstock