Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling: Turkey's 660-Year Fighting Tradition
The Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Edirne, Turkey, holds a distinction that no other sporting event on earth can claim: it has been held continuously for over 660 years, making it the oldest ongoing sporting competition in the world. Every summer, wrestlers coated in olive oil compete in a tradition that connects modern Turkey to the Ottoman Empire and beyond.
Known as Yağlı Güreş (oil wrestling), this is not merely a sport in Turkey — it is a national treasure, inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage and woven into the fabric of Turkish identity.
The Legend of Kirkpinar
According to tradition, the Kirkpinar tournament originated in 1357 during the Ottoman conquest of Thrace. Forty Ottoman soldiers held a wrestling competition during a military campaign. Two of the strongest wrestlers, unable to defeat each other, fought through the night and into the next day until both collapsed and died from exhaustion.
They were buried under a fig tree near the town that would become Edirne. The site was named Kirkpinar ("forty springs") and became the permanent home of an annual wrestling festival held in their honor.
While the precise historical details are debated, the tournament has been documented since at least the 14th century, and its unbroken continuation since that era is verified by historical records.
The Oil
The defining element of Turkish wrestling is the olive oil. Before each bout, wrestlers douse themselves in large quantities of olive oil, making their bodies extremely slippery and fundamentally changing the dynamics of grappling.
Why Oil?
The oil serves several purposes:
- Technical challenge: Grasping an oiled opponent requires exceptional grip strength and technique
- Tradition: The oil connects modern competition to centuries of practice
- Physical protection: The oil provides some protection against skin abrasions on the grass surface
- Spectacle: The glistening bodies of the wrestlers create a distinctive visual display
Effect on Technique
Oil wrestling techniques differ significantly from other grappling arts because conventional grips are nearly impossible on bare skin. Instead, wrestlers focus on:
- Gripping the kispet (leather trousers)
- Reaching inside the waistband for control
- Using body locks and overhooks
- Leveraging weight and pressure rather than friction-dependent grips
This creates a unique grappling dynamic not found in any other wrestling tradition, including Pehlwani and Glima.
The Kispet
Wrestlers wear the kispet, traditional trousers made from water buffalo leather. The kispet extends from the waist to just below the knees and weighs approximately 13 kilograms when dry — considerably more when soaked with oil.
The kispet is the primary gripping surface in oil wrestling. Wrestlers grip the waistband, the legs, and even reach inside the kispet to control their opponent. The rules regarding kispet grips have evolved over the centuries, and certain interior grips that were once permitted are now restricted.
New kispets are handmade by specialized craftsmen and are expensive. A quality pair can cost several thousand dollars, and wrestlers take great care of their trousers.
Rules and Competition
Winning
A wrestler wins by:
- Forcing the opponent's back to the ground — making their shoulder blades touch
- Lifting the opponent above shoulder height — demonstrating complete control
- Making the opponent's navel face the sky — a traditional victory condition
- Opponent conceding — verbally or physically signaling surrender
Match Structure
- Bouts were historically unlimited in time, sometimes lasting for hours
- Modern Kirkpinar bouts have time limits (typically 30-40 minutes for senior categories)
- If no winner is determined in regulation, a sudden-death overtime period follows
- In overtime, points can be scored, introducing an element foreign to the traditional format
Categories
The Kirkpinar tournament features multiple age and experience categories, with the senior Başpehlivan (chief wrestler) division being the most prestigious. Wrestlers progress through the ranks over years of competition, and reaching the Başpehlivan category is a significant achievement.
The Başpehlivan
The title of Başpehlivan — chief wrestler of Kirkpinar — is the highest honor in Turkish oil wrestling. The champion receives a golden belt and earns enormous prestige throughout Turkey.
Famous Başpehlivans are national celebrities. Some have held the title for multiple consecutive years, dominating the sport and becoming living legends. Their names are inscribed in the history of the tournament alongside centuries of predecessors.
The golden belt must be won three consecutive years to be kept permanently. Otherwise, it is returned and contested the following year.
The Festival Atmosphere
Kirkpinar is not just a wrestling tournament — it is a cultural festival spanning several days:
- Opening ceremonies with traditional music and pageantry
- Prayers and blessings for the wrestlers
- Progressive competition from junior through senior divisions
- Food and market stalls selling traditional Turkish goods
- Music and entertainment throughout the event
The festival attracts tens of thousands of spectators to Edirne each year. For many Turkish families, attending Kirkpinar is an annual tradition that connects them to their cultural heritage.
UNESCO Recognition
In 2010, UNESCO inscribed the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This recognition acknowledged the festival's extraordinary historical continuity and its importance to Turkish cultural identity.
The inscription has helped raise international awareness of the tradition and has provided additional institutional support for its preservation. It places Kirkpinar alongside other recognized fighting traditions like Bokator as cultural practices of global significance.
Oil Wrestling Beyond Kirkpinar
While Kirkpinar is the pinnacle, oil wrestling is practiced across Turkey at hundreds of regional festivals throughout the summer months. These events serve as the development pipeline for Kirkpinar, where young wrestlers build their skills and reputations.
Regional competitions vary in size from village-level events with a few dozen wrestlers to major provincial festivals with hundreds of competitors. The tradition is strongest in Thrace (European Turkey) and the Aegean region but extends across the country.
Training for Oil Wrestling
Oil wrestling training combines traditional methods with modern athletics:
- Grappling drills both with and without oil
- Strength training emphasizing grip, core, and posterior chain
- Endurance work to sustain effort over long bouts
- Technical study of kispet grips and throws
- Practice with oil to develop the unique motor skills required
Young wrestlers typically train under experienced pehlivan at wrestling clubs, learning technique and absorbing the cultural values of the tradition.
The Future
Kirkpinar's 660-year history suggests it will continue for centuries to come. The combination of deep cultural significance, institutional support from UNESCO and the Turkish government, and genuine public enthusiasm ensures the tradition's viability.
For fans of traditional combat sports, Kirkpinar oil wrestling is a must-see event — a living connection to a fighting tradition older than most nations.