Aydın Camel Wrestling
It is known that camel wrestling was first performed in Hıdırbeyli village of İncirliova district 200 years ago in our country and it has survived until today. In this period when nomadism was common, camel wrestling, which emerged due to the rivalry between the nomads and the nomads, has become a tradition and has survived until today. Camel wrestling is done between male camels called "tülü". Tülüs consisting of one-humped female camel (yoz) and double-humped male camel (buhur) are specially bred for wrestling. The special names given by their owners are written on an ornate fabric on the back of the hats worn on their backs. Under the name there is the text "Mashallah". Camel wrestling is held during the winter months when the tulus starts to warm up. The day before the wrestling, the camels are decorated and paraded through the streets accompanied by drums and zurnas.
In the evening, tülü owners come together and have fun with the “carpet night”. Eating and drinking are done, folk songs are sung, games are played. At the end of the night, the carpet that gave its name to the night is put up for auction. The next day, the people begin to gather in the area where the wrestling will take place. Barbecues are set up, meals are prepared. Peddlers also took their places at the edges of the wrestling field. Zeybek is played before the start of wrestling. Then an announcement is made that the wrestling will begin. The wrestling starts after the camel owners and their caretakers, called sarvans, bring the camels to the wrestling area and show them to the audience. Camels are defined by their style of wrestling.
Camels wrestling from the right are called right-handers, camels wrestling from the left are called left-handers, a camel that gets caught in the foot of an opponent is called a prostitute, and the one who knocks his opponent to the ground and kidnaps is called a nickname. A camel that collapses with the opponent's head under his chest is called a tie. Wrestling is done in four categories: foot, middle, overhead and head. Each camel wrestles once a day and the wrestling time is 10-15 minutes. The time is not long so that the camel does not wear out. Winning in wrestling is achieved by missing, shouting, or knocking down. In kidnapping, the camel frightens the other camel with its grandeur. In shouting, the camel is considered defeated when the camel brings its opponent to one of the games such as ties, hooks, forks, scissors and squeezes it and the opponent who cannot stand it shouts. In the destruction, the camel collapsed on him, knocking his opponent to the ground. Seeing that his camel is in trouble, the owner of the camel throws the rope out and saves his camel from wrestling. The camel, the winner of the wrestling, greets the audience standing upright by joining all four legs. He receives his carpet as a reward and leaves the field.
