Turkey brings back Ottoman sports to revive past glory
Istanbul's Ethnic Sports Cultural Festival aims to promote the sports practiced by the ancestors of modern Turks - from the nomadic horsemen of Central Asia to the Janissaries, the elite troops of the Ottoman Empire.
Ottoman campsite in Istanbul
Bare-chested and covered in oil, Turkish wrestlers fight during a tournament. A huge area on the European side of Istanbul, which is usually used for political rallies, was transformed into an Ottoman encampment for the four-day event. Wrestlers, archers and riders showed off their skills in between traditional cooking workshops, Central Asian dancing and carpet-weaving.
600 years of Ottoman rule
The Turkish President's son, Bilal Erdogan, stands nexts to participants in Ottoman costumes. The modern Turkish republic was founded in 1923 after over 600 years of Ottoman rule. "We want to revive our traditional values, beginning with our sports, in order to move forward with these values," says Bilal Erdogan, who is also an archery fan.
Grabbing goats
Horseriders practice the traditional central Asian sport Ulak Tartis, which means "goat grabbing." The cavalry were taking part in a riding sport created in Central Asia in which riders throw wooden javelins at the opposing team's horsemen. "This is the king of sports, it embodies the Turkish spirit," says one participant after dismounting.
Efforts to revive Turkey's Ottoman roots after decades of Westernization
More than 800 athletes took part in traditional sports from Anatolia and Central Asia, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government wants to develop to celebrate the glory days of Turkey's past, before the collapse of the Ottoman empire.
Keeping old traditions alive
Born of the wars that shaped Ottoman life, and forged an empire that stretched from the Balkans to the Gulf, most of these traditional sports died when the old order fell after World War I. Their survival today is due in large part to families passing the traditions on from one generation to the next.
Turkish government takes pride in promoting traditional sports
Yakup, a traditional archery instructor, says interest in the discipline has exploded. "We have over 1,000 members in our archery club", he says as he puts arrows in a quiver. Turkish Sports Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic, promised the government would provide further financial support to develop such activities and suggested it would encourage clubs to show more interest in traditional sports.
Dreaming of 'Turkish Olympics'
Young people's enthusiasm comes mainly from television series' about the Ottoman sultans, which have multiplied in the past few years. Organizers are hopeful that it could spark a passion for the sports in school children visiting with their classes. They even dream of one day organizing a "Turkish Olympics" bringing together sportsmen and women from Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans.