Kirkpinar is the name of a Turkish yağlı güreş wrestling tournament. It is held annually, usually in late June, near Edirne, Turkey (formerly known as Adrianople). Pehlivan at Kirkpinar Yagli Gures, or properly, Yağlı Güreş, is the Turkish national sport. ... Wrestling may refer to: Sport wrestling Professional wrestling grappling This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... Selimiye Mosque, built by Sinan in 1575 Edirne is a city in (Thrace), the westernmost part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. ... Edirne is a city in (Thrace), the westernmost part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. ...

According to legend, as the Ottoman Turkish army was moving toward Edirne in 1361, their soldiers would take to wrestling against one another for recreation during lulls in the battles; one night, forty such soldiers began wrestling, but a bout between two of them lasted all night as neither was able to defeat the other. They were found dead the next morning, their bodies still intertwined. They were buried underneath a nearby fig tree, whereupon their comrades headed to Edirne, which they then conquered. The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul (Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 6. ... Events Founding of the University of Pavia, Italy. ...

After the conquest, the soldiers came upon another fig tree, surrounded by a crystal-clear spring, so they renamed the surrounding meadow (which until then had been known as Ahirköy) Kirkpinar, which translates from Turkish as "forty springs" or "forty sources."

To commemorate the heroism of the conquering warriors, a wrestling tournament was re-enacted annually at the site, and the oldest still-contested sanctioned sporting competition in the world began.

Before each bout, the wrestlers pour olive oil over their entire bodies, and the matches take place in an open, grassy field, with the contestants naked except for trousers made of leather, which extend to just above the knee. Victory is achieved when one wrestler either pins the other to the ground (as in many other forms of wrestling) or lifts his opponent above his shoulders. In agriculture, olive oil is an oil extracted from the fruit of the European olive tree , which originated in the Mediterranean area. ...

The event attracted little attention outside of Turkey until the 1990s, when the style of wrestling began to spread to Western Europe; it has become particularly popular in the Netherlands, which now hosts its own annual version of the tournament, attracting participants from throughout Europe. Yağlı güreş wrestling matches are also held in Japan. Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but keeping the same mind-set. ... Western Europe is distinguished from Eastern Europe by differences of history and culture rather than by geography. ... Pehlivan at Kirkpinar Yagli Gures, or properly, Yağlı Güreş, is the Turkish national sport. ...

External links

• Turkish Wrestling
• bashpelivanns.com