Camel wrestling:

Camel wrestling is now mostly restricted to the Aegean region, though it was once more widespread in Anatolia, is a Turkish sport in which two male Tülu camels wrestle in response to a female camel in heat being led before them.

There are an estimated 1,200 wrestling (or Tulu) camels in Turkey, bred specially for the competitions.

Origen:

It is said that the first camel wrestling competition was held in the village of Hidirbeyli in Aydin’s Incirliova Township about two centuries ago.

Although the origin of camel wrestling cannot be placed exactly, it is believed that it started during nomadic times. People interested in camel wrestling or camel owners say that the nomads used to have their camels wrestle as part of the competition between caravan owners.　

Today, camel wrestling is popular mostly in Aydin. It is also seen in the cities of Izmir, Manisa, Mugla and Denizli in the Aegean region, Balikesir and Çanakkale in the Marmara region and Burdur, and Isparta and Antalya in the Mediterranean region.　

Rules and the wrestling:

The proceeds earned from camel wrestling, after costs are deducted, are used for certain purposes. Neither pari-mutuel arrangements nor betting are allowed. Only male camels can wrestle in these contests, and then only those born to female camels with a single hump (dromedary or “yoz” camels) or those with double humps (Bactrian or “buhur” camels).

These camels are bred especially for wrestling, which means that the ancestors of these wrestling camels were wrestlers themselves and with a great deal of care and are trained for wrestling. The contests are held in the winter months of December, January, February and March when the tülüs are in heat. Every wrestling camel must have a name.

One day before the wrestling contest, the camels are decked out in a manner prescribed by tradition. They are then walked through the streets accompanied by music played on the drums and zurna. This is a spectacle which everyone should see at least once.

The day of the wrestling, in the wee hours of the meeting, crowds of people start flocking to the wrestling field while the camel owners try to find a good spot in the fields where their camels can face each other.

Spectators cook meat on a barbecue spit. By about 9 or 10 o’clock, the camel wrestling fans have filled the field. Street sellers set up their stands and tables around the field where they offer a wide variety of food, drinks and souvenirs, while drummers and zurna players play traditional tunes. Inspired by the music, some people dance the traditional zeybek dance.

The cazgir; the person who announces wrestlers or the wrestling camels – calls out the camels’ names. The cazgir reads poems praising each camel, adding colour to the contest. This cazgir, just as in two-legged wrestling contests, is the most important and colourful person in the competition.

Camel wrestling is held in four categories, namely Foot, Middle, Under the Head and Head.　

A camel can win in any of three ways:


-by making the other camel retreat,　

-by making the other camel scream,

- by making the other camel fall.　


In the first road to victory, one camel sends his rival into retreat with just his fearsome appearance.　


In the second, one camel overpowers the other so much that he makes him scream.　


In the third, one camel cunningly manoeuvres the other to make him fall down. The winning camel goes and sits on his vanquished competitor.　


Another way victory can be secured is when the camel’s owner takes his fighter out of the contest in order to prevent him from being hurt. The camel owner throws a rope on the ground indicating that he is withdrawing from the contest. The other camel is declared the winner. And sometimes the game ends in a tie.

The winning camel stands with his four feet together and greets the audience in a proud, boastful manner. He accepts a rug as his award and then exits the wrestling field. The camel which loses, on the other hand, looks embarrassed and keeps quiet.　


A camel wrestles just once per day and each wrestling match lasts for 10 or 15 minutes. These rules exist to prevent the camels from being too badly hurt or even dying as well as to protect their well-being.

Trophies:

The new local governor of Bodrum, Feridun Cemal Özdemir, presented the trophies to the owners of the two final contestants who had finished “basabas” (head to head): Fernaz, owned by Nihat Altinkaya from Balikesir, and Cambazoglu Kabus, owned by Yasar Tokluoglu from Izmir.

Championship:

Held in an ancient stadium at Ephesus, near the town of Selçuk, the camel wrestling championships have drawn thousands of spectators annually. The festival usually highlights wrestling of 120 camels, but in 2001 only 96 were involve.There are 17 competitions in the 2010 - 2011 Camel League