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Two oil wrestlers grappling at the Kırkpınar festival

Kırkpınar

Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival

Held each June–July at Sarayiçi, Kırkpınar has pitted leather-breeched pehlivans against one another without a break since 1361 and is inscribed on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Here you'll find its history, rules and this year's schedule.

Oil wrestlers competing in kispet at the Sarayiçi arena in Edirne

Kırkpınar Dates: When Does It Take Place?

The Kırkpınar oil wrestling festival takes place every early July at Edirne's Sarayiçi (Kırkpınar Er Meydanı), usually around the second week of July. The wrestling peaks in the final days of a week-long festival. Exact dates are announced each spring by the municipality and governorship.

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Wrestlers performing the peşrev warm-up at the Kırkpınar arena

Kırkpınar Head Wrestlers and the Golden Belt

The Kırkpınar başpehlivan is the wrestler who wins the top "baş" category and earns the golden belt (altın kemer). If the same wrestler wins three years in a row, the golden belt becomes his permanently. Wrestlers advance through a rank system from minik to deste, başaltı and finally baş.

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The stands and wrestling ground at the Kırkpınar arena

Kırkpınar Tickets and Transport Guide

The Kırkpınar bouts are watched at Sarayiçi (Kırkpınar Er Meydanı) north of Edirne, a short distance from the city center. This guide walks you step by step through reaching Edirne from Istanbul and nearby provinces, getting to the arena and what to know about tickets.

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Drums and zurna players at the Kırkpınar wrestling ceremony

Kırkpınar Traditions: Kispet, Peşrev and Oil

At Kırkpınar wrestlers wear tight leather trousers called "kispet" and coat their bodies in olive oil, which is why it is oil wrestling. Before bouts the wrestlers perform rhythmic warm-up movements called the "peşrev," drums and zurna play, and the cazgır announcer introduces them. These traditions have continued almost unchanged for centuries.

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A scene from the historic Kırkpınar wrestling at Sarayiçi

History of Kırkpınar: From 1361 to Today

The Kırkpınar wrestling is considered one of the world's oldest sporting events, held since 1361. According to legend it takes its name from the forty springs that rose from the ground in memory of forty Ottoman warriors who died wrestling there. The festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010.

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