Jan
20
2013
Jan
20
2013
Jan
19
2014
Jan
19
2014
Check Out the Primitive Tradition of Camel Wrestling in Turkey
The Experience
Every culture and race has their own special form of entertainment passed down over the years. The Thais have cockfights, the Spanish have bull fights, and the Turkish have their camels. Turkey Camel wrestling is very popular, but as time musters forward, it is becoming more and more restricted. When you visit Turkey during the winter months, you will find elaborately dressed camels parading around the market areas welcoming the respect of all they cross. These wreslting camels are fully grown bulls that are fed extra to build muscle. They are trained from calves, and exercised regularly. One of the best places to visit in Turkey to watch this peculiar spectacle is the Aegean Coast.
When it comes to the Camel Wrestling Festival, you might wonder how and why these camels do what they do. Thankfully it's not a blood sport, but more of a comical event. It is the camel’s inherent nature to wrestle and knock out their opponents during the mating season. They apparently display this nature in the herd so that they can mate. Camels have to show heroism qualities to mate in order to impress the females, so typically in the race a bunch of bulls are paraded, and a cow on heat is let in to give them the enthusiasm they need. The bulls obviously get excited, and start butting each other at the start of the race. It is sometimes the case that a bull starts off racing towards the crowd, and so the event becomes all the more exciting and an adrenalin rush for the viewers. Thankfully, the rate of accidents is pretty low, given the extremity of the sport.
Unfortunately, the Turkey Camel Wrestling Festival is becoming unpopular because of the funds involved in maintaining these camels. Only the richest in Turkey who have the money to fund the maintenance of the camels wage this sport. Although camel wrestling is believed to have begun in Turkey more than 2,000 years ago, arranged by nomads, most of the camels that are now used for the Camel Wrestling Festival are not bred in Turkey, but rather in Iran or Afghanistan. The wrestling of camels for entertainment has often spilled over into an all-out fundraising affair by Turkish authorities, and it’s noted that the Turkish National Aviation League once used the camel wrestling events to raise funds for planes. This was discontinued soon afterwards.
Turkey is not the only country with camels, and so the practice has been organized in other countries too. During a 1961 visit by Queen Elizabeth II to Lahore in India, camel wrestling was removed from the program at the horse and cattle show because it was deemed to be inappropriate for her to watch.
When it comes to the Camel Wrestling Festival, you might wonder how and why these camels do what they do. Thankfully it's not a blood sport, but more of a comical event. It is the camel’s inherent nature to wrestle and knock out their opponents during the mating season. They apparently display this nature in the herd so that they can mate. Camels have to show heroism qualities to mate in order to impress the females, so typically in the race a bunch of bulls are paraded, and a cow on heat is let in to give them the enthusiasm they need. The bulls obviously get excited, and start butting each other at the start of the race. It is sometimes the case that a bull starts off racing towards the crowd, and so the event becomes all the more exciting and an adrenalin rush for the viewers. Thankfully, the rate of accidents is pretty low, given the extremity of the sport.
Unfortunately, the Turkey Camel Wrestling Festival is becoming unpopular because of the funds involved in maintaining these camels. Only the richest in Turkey who have the money to fund the maintenance of the camels wage this sport. Although camel wrestling is believed to have begun in Turkey more than 2,000 years ago, arranged by nomads, most of the camels that are now used for the Camel Wrestling Festival are not bred in Turkey, but rather in Iran or Afghanistan. The wrestling of camels for entertainment has often spilled over into an all-out fundraising affair by Turkish authorities, and it’s noted that the Turkish National Aviation League once used the camel wrestling events to raise funds for planes. This was discontinued soon afterwards.
Turkey is not the only country with camels, and so the practice has been organized in other countries too. During a 1961 visit by Queen Elizabeth II to Lahore in India, camel wrestling was removed from the program at the horse and cattle show because it was deemed to be inappropriate for her to watch.
When to Go to Camel Wrestling Turkey
If you want to watch the Camel Wrestling Festival, you should visit Turkey in January. It is regularly held near Pamucak Beach in Selcuk in Turkey on the third Sunday of January. The camels have a specific breeding season, and so the Camel Wrestling Festival is held at that time. The wrestling begins at 10 a.m. sharp, and you will be seated on the hillside so that you are safe, and also have a better view. The hillside is usually very slippery and muddy, so it’s best if you bring something to sit on. It can be quite murky to be seated in such a place, so be prepared to deal with some harmless dirt. Boots prevent you from slipping in the wet mud.
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