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Yatağan Camel Wrestling

The tradition of camel wrestling goes back to the beginning of the 19th century in Turkey. Camel wrestling takes place in the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions of Turkey. The wrestling of camels is predominantly a part of Yörük culture. Camel wrestling in Yatağan is held as part of traditional cultural festivals. They started during the 1950s and, after a long period of not being held, these camel wrestling tournaments recommenced three years ago, now in an organised fashion. The Yatağan Camel Wrestling Festival is now held at the end of every January. One day before the tournament, an entertainment night called ‘Henna’ is held, attended by the owners of the camels and their guests.

Only male camels called ‘Tülü’ are eligible to enter the wrestling tournament. A referee controls the camel wrestling match and a team of referees off the field decide as to which camel is the winner. There are teams of 10 men aside called ‘Urgancı’ who are in charge of separating the camels and there are two-man teams called ‘Ağız Bağcı’ that are in charge of tying the mouths of the camels. Camel wrestling has the same categories as oil wrestling, done by men throughout the country. These categories are Ayak (base), Orta (middle), Başaltı (second class) and Baş (top). The camel that is wrestling on the right is called the right-winger and the one on the left is called the left-winger. The Tülü camels when wrestling wear a saddle called ‘Havut’. The matches last10 minutes and if the camels cannot defeat each other the match is considered a draw. If the camel leaves the field it is considered the loser.