Photos: Centuries-old oil wrestling festival returns in Turkey

By EMRAH GUREL and ANDREW WILKS Associated Press
Jul 17, 2021
2 hrs ago
After a year-long, pandemic-induced hiatus, the sounds of the zurna flute and beating drums again greeted thousands of Turkish wrestling fans who returned to the country’s northwest for a 600-year-old oil wrestling championship.
Last year’s contest was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. But spectators headed in droves to Edirne province on the Greek border over the weekend to watch a sport that dates to the 14th century.
Over three days, competitors clad in leather trousers known as “’kispet” and liberally doused in olive oil struggled to earn the title of Baspehlivani, or chief wrestler, the sport’s equivalent of world champion.

Related Keywords

Kirkpinar ,Diyarbakir ,Turkey ,Ankara ,Antalya ,Greece ,Turkish ,Greek ,Emrah Gurel ,Faruk Akkoyun ,Ismail Koc ,Edirne Sarayici ,Ali Gurbuz ,Turkey Oil ,Turkey Oil Wrestling Wrestlers Ismail Koc ,Turkey Oil Wrestling Fans ,Turkey Oil Wrestling Spectators ,Historic Kirkpinar Oil ,Turkey Oil Wrestling ,Turkey Oil Wrestling Wrestler Ali Gurbuz ,Turkey Oil Wrestling Wrestlers ,Mayor Recep Gurkan ,Oil Wrestling ,Wrestler Ali Gurbuz ,Historic Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling ,Sunday July ,Wrestlers Ismail Koc ,டையைர்‌பேகிர் ,வான்கோழி ,அங்காரா ,ஆன்டால்யா ,கிரீஸ் ,துருக்கிய ,கிரேக்கம் ,வான்கோழி எண்ணெய் ,எண்ணெய் மல்யுத்தம் ,ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை ஜூலை ,