Kirkpinar: Turkey’s annual oil wrestling tournament

Junior wrestlers walk across the grass on the first day of the tournament: according to legend, the name Kirkpinar or “40 springs” dates back to the 14th century when the Ottoman Sultan Orhan led his campaign to Thrace

Different categories of wrestlers – juniors, lightweight, middleweight, seniors and aces – participate in the competition, which is held at the Er Meydani Stadium on the outskirts of Edirne

Junior ‘pehlivans’ wrestle in the grass: the term ‘pehlivan’ comes from the Persian ‘pahlevan’, meaning hero. Being a pehlivan is much more than just a sport – for these boys and men it is a way of life. When Islam arrived in Anatolia, wrestling acquired a spiritual dimension that was incorporated into the lifestyle of the pehlivans and their training

Young wrestlers wait to enter the field: dozens of teams from all over Turkey come to Edirne every year for Kirkpinar, the most important pehlivan tournament. In July this year it was held for the 662nd consecutive time

Final resting place of famous local wrestlers Kara Emin and Adali Halil: their tombstones are shaped as ‘kispet’, the traditional pehlivan leather trousers. Every year, the wrestlers visit this cemetery before heading into town for the official opening of Kirkpinar. Afterwards, a column of wrestlers parades through the town with the grand prize of the tournament: the Kirkpinar Golden Belt

Friday prayer integral to Kirkpinar: held in the grand sixteenth-century Selimiye Mosque, built by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, prayers are held on the first day of the three-day event. Along with local residents, wrestlers from all over Turkey attend to listen to the imam give a sermon in honour of competitors past and present

On leaving the mosque, the pehlivans head to the Er Meydani stadium where the tournament takes place. The first oil wrestling tournament is said to have been held in 1346 on Kirkpinar Meadow in today’s Greece. When the site was ceded to Greece at the beginning of the 20th century, the tournament moved to its current location in Edirne

During the tournament wrestlers wear ‘kispet’, trousers made from the hide of the water buffalo, an animal that was once widespread in the Balkans. The name of the individual wrestler is embroidered onto the back of the trouser waist. On average a pair of kispet weighs 13 kg

Wrestlers use olive oil to grease up their bodies before entering the field: allegedly, the Ottomans adopted the use of oil from the Byzantines when they first conquered Edirne. Later, wrestling became a favourite court sport of the sultans and oil an inseparable part of it. Cheaper, sunflower oil is used for practice, as well as at some local tournaments

During Kirkpinar, the rhythmic sounds of traditional musical instruments, such as drums and zurnas are omnipresent

The all-important warm-up: apart from Turkey, this traditional form of oil wrestling is still practiced across the Balkans, with tournaments still held regularly in Greece, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Kosovo

Head-on is typical for Turkish oil wrestling: bouts usually last around half an hour, although during the finals they can last up to two hours, which can be extremely exhausting in the bright sun and high temperatures

It’s nail-biting for spectators: a tense atmosphere reigns among the audience during the afternoon hours, which is when the most experienced pehlivans compete

Emotions run high when the winners are announced: for wrestlers who prepare all year and often come from distant parts of the country, the act of participating in Kirkpinar is a great honour

After hours of wrestling in the summer heat, wrestlers cool off under standpipes at the edge of the field