camel wrestling
{{Short description|Sport in which two camels wrestle}}
File:Mughal Camel Fighting.jpg
Camel wrestling ({{langx|tr|deve güreşi}}) is a sport in which two male Tülü camels wrestle, typically in response to a female camel in heat being led before them. It is most common in the Aegean region of Turkey, but is also practiced in other parts of the Middle East and South Asia.
History
Camel fighting originated among ancient Turkic tribes over 1000 years ago.{{cite news |last=Kinzer |first=Stephen |title=Selcuk Journal; In These Prizefights, Camels Wrestle for Carpets |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50D16F63D590C7A8DDDA80894D8404482 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130121016/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50D16F63D590C7A8DDDA80894D8404482 |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 January 2013 |accessdate=16 February 2011 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=19 January 2000 }} Camels also wrestle in the wild, so the practice occurred before it was first organized by nomads. In the 1920s the Turkish National Aviation league held Camel fights as fundraisers in order to purchase planes for the Government of Turkey.{{cite news |title=Camels, Lords of Dying Race, to Fight it Out at Stambol |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PU8uAAAAIBAJ&pg=4135,5290286&dq=camel-fighting&hl=en |accessdate=16 February 2011 |newspaper=The Miami News |date=29 January 1929 |agency=Associated Press |page=J30 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The government of Turkey began discouraging the practice in the 1920s, however, characterizing it as too backwards of a practice. In the 1980s, the new government of Turkey began encouraging the competitions as part of Turkey's historic culture.{{cite news |last=Parkinson |first=Joe |title=What's a Bigger Draw Than a Camel Fight? A Camel Beauty Contest, of Course |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704678004576089830885948812 |accessdate=22 January 2011 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=22 January 2011 |page=A1}}
Event details
File:Camel wrestling 2018 Izmir.webp
Due to the motivating factor of a nearby female camel, the events have historically been held during mating season. The camels fight by using their necks as leverage to force their opponent to fall down. A camel is declared the winner if his competitor falls to the ground or flees from the fight. Most fighting camels are bred in Iran or Afghanistan.{{cite news |last=Christie-Miller |first=Alexander |title=Turkey: Tradition of Camel Wrestling Making a Comeback |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62784 |accessdate=17 February 2011 |newspaper=EurasiaNet |date=27 January 2011}} A successful camel can be sold for over $20,000.{{cite book |last=Whiting |first=Dominic |title=Turkey Handbook |year=2000 |publisher=Footprint |location=London |isbn=978-1-900949-85-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZKi5p20LQY4C&q=%22Camel+wrestling%22&pg=PA285 |accessdate=17 February 2011 |page=285}}
The events can occasionally be hazardous to spectators if the camels attempt to flee through the crowd.{{cite news |title=Fethiye Times Meets a Camel! |url=http://www.fethiyetimes.com/expat-zone/environmentculture/6483-fethiye-times-meets-a-camel.html |accessdate=17 February 2011 |newspaper=Fethiye Times |date=9 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325221907/http://www.fethiyetimes.com/expat-zone/environmentculture/6483-fethiye-times-meets-a-camel.html |archive-date=25 March 2012 |url-status=dead }} On some occasions fights also break out between the owners of camels.{{cite news |title=Getting the Hump - Camel Wrestling Season Now in Full Swing |url=http://www.fethiyetimes.com/just-visiting/things-to-do/5976-getting-the-hump-camel-wrestling-season-now-in-full-swing.html |accessdate=17 February 2011 |newspaper=Fethiye Times |date=28 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201033930/http://www.fethiyetimes.com/just-visiting/things-to-do/5976-getting-the-hump-camel-wrestling-season-now-in-full-swing.html |archive-date=1 February 2013 |url-status=dead }}
There are roughly thirty annual festivals in Aegean Turkey each year from November to March. Roughly one hundred fighting camels take part in these events, with each camel competing in approximately ten matches. Events always occur on Sundays in football stadiums and typically last ten minutes each. At the end of the season there is often a tournament of champions in which the best camels compete.{{cite book |last=Dogu |first=Evin |title=Fodor's Turkey |year=2009 |publisher=Fodor's |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4000-0815-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5fI3iHkj81YC&q=%22Camel+wrestling%22&pg=PA242 |edition=7 |editor=Caroline Trefler |accessdate=17 February 2011 |page=242}} Many international tourists attend the events, making them a key part of the tourist industry in Western Anatolia.
Several animal rights organizations have criticized the practice, characterizing it as cruelty to animals.