Qing Fanzine

Turkish Oil Wrestling

The Kirkpinar (“Forty Springs”) in Edirne, Turkey is the annual world series of Yağlı Gűreş (greasy wrestling), the Turkish national sport. Kirkpinar is the oldest continuing sporting event in the world. Almost 1,000 entrants from throughout Turkey compete in a three-day elimination tournament.

Before matches begin the pehlivans (“wrestlers” or “heroes”) oil their bodies with a mixture of olive oil and water so that they can endure the heat of the day in a bout which until modern times was fought without a time limit. Originally embraced as the basic method for conditioning the Sultan’s Janissaries (the “Marines” of the Ottoman armies), oil wrestling is more about strength and endurance than clever moves. The first wrestler whose “umbilicus is exposed to heaven” loses the match.