Camel wrestling
A festival of the Aegean region at which male camels wrestle.
About
Camel wrestling is a local tradition that comes from the culture of the Anatolian Yörüks: decorated male camels wrestle each other in the arena. One of the best-known festivals is held in Selçuk (Ephesus) in Türkiye.
History
As D. Şahinler writes, it is not known for certain when camel wrestling began in Anatolia, but written and oral sources show that the tradition is at least 200 years old. The Ottoman archives hold a record from the reign of Mahmud II: camels carrying alum at Gediz were kept back for a wrestling to be held in Tire — so such contests were already widespread in the first half of the nineteenth century.
The wrestling is held mainly in Western Anatolia — in the provinces of Aydın, İzmir, Manisa, Denizli and Muğla — usually from December to March, in the camels' rutting season. The wrestling camels are called tülü: a cross between a one-humped female and a two-humped male. Before the season the camel is ceremonially dressed in its havut, a decorated pack-saddle; for the bout the camels' mouths are tied.
Peoples
Research: Vasif Namazov, Turan Games Concept
