Pehlivan

Every year, thousands of Turkish wrestling fans flock to the country's Greek border province of Edirne to watch the Kirkpinar festival, an oil wrestling competition that dates back to the 14th century. The festival, one of the world's oldest wrestling events and oldest continuously sanctioned sporting competition, was listed as an intangible cultural heritage event by UNESCO in 2010.

At the Kirkpinar festival, the competition takes place in an open, grassy field, with the contestants naked except for trousers made of leather, which extend to just above the knees. Victory is achieved when one wrestler either pins the other to the ground or lifts his opponent above his shoulders. The dream of each wrestler (Pehlivan in Turkish) is to win the Kirkpinar Golden Belt and become a “chief wrestler” (Baspehlivan). Turkish oil wrestlers (all men) usually start wrestling from a very young age, as young as seven years old. Many of them do not start wrestling by choice, but upon the wish of their father in order to continue a family tradition.