Quick answer
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.
The legend of the forty warriors
As the story goes, in the era when the Ottomans crossed into Rumelia, forty warriors set out to conquer a fortress. Resting on the way, they wrestle for entertainment; two of them cannot be separated, and after days of wrestling both die.
Their companions bury them under a tree. Returning the next year, they find forty springs gushing from the ground beside the two wrestlers' graves. The place keeps the name "Kırkpınar" (forty springs), and the wrestling has been held there every year in memory of the two warriors.
An ancient tradition and UNESCO
Kırkpınar is accepted as having continued since 1361, making it one of the oldest continuously held sporting contests in the world. Although the wrestling ground has shifted over the centuries, the tradition today lives on at Sarayiçi in Edirne, at the Kırkpınar Er Meydanı.
For its cultural value, Kırkpınar was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. This inscription underlines that oil wrestling is not merely a sport but a cultural heritage to be passed on.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long has Kırkpınar been held?+
Kırkpınar is accepted as continuing since 1361 and is regarded as one of the oldest sporting events in the world.
Where does the name Kırkpınar come from?+
By legend, forty springs rose beside the graves of two warriors who died wrestling; the area has been called Kırkpınar (forty springs) ever since.
Updated: June 2026
