THE LOST SPOT
What happened with the site of the original KIRKPINAR?

HISTORY OF OILED WRESTLING
The world's oldest continuously sanctioned sporting competition is the Edirne Kirkpinar, which has been held since 1460. Guinness World Records.

WHO-IS-WHO?
Old and new guys in oiled wrestling at the Kirkpinar!

All about Edirne
Ministry of Turkish culture
Ministry of Tourism
Edirne Belediyesi Web Sayfasý
Edirne KIRKPINAR winners since 1924
Who-is-who in Turkey (Turkish)

Japan journalist in Edirne

Put your pictures at the Yahoo!-club

Our aim is to support the cosmopolitan visitor of the Kirkpinar of Oiled Wrestling in that friendly city of Edirne. Encourage him to understand the customs and essence of that premium of sports.

Ümit Balta basalti champion Edirne 2001, here at the Amsterdam Kirkpinar 2001 (photo: mokumtv)

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What is up in Edirne during the Kirkpinar?

10.00 Welcome Ceremony at Atatürk statue. Followed by a prayer at the grave of Adali Halil, led by Edirne Kirkpinar agha (Eski Pehlivan cemetery). At the end he pays a visit to the Lord Mayor of the city.
Alternative: visit the room of wrestlers, go to a hamam (Turkish Bath) or buy tickets for the final on Sunday at Edirne's municipality.

12.00 Friday Prayer with loads of oilwrestlers in the Selimiye mosque. If you are non-moslim, behave discrete and stay at the backsite.

15.00 Opening Kirkpinar. No entrance fee this first day. See last years champion waving the flag at the head of the Pehlivan Procession. Bouts are held from 3 to 6 p.m. The Sarayici stadium is just more than a mile from Edirne centre. Grab a cab and say "Sarai-it-shi"

Evening: Open-air concerts in front of the Selimiye and at the Sarayici Güres Alani.

TRT int: 19:15 and 00:20 SportNews (Spor Haberleri)

09.00-18.00 Edirne Kirkpinar of Oilwrestling at the Sarayici Peninsula. .

Evening: Free open-air concert in front of the Selimiye. Show in stadion.
Aga Party for invitees in in a restaurant on the Meric River.

TRT int: 20:20 and 01:05 SportNews (Spor Haberleri)

09.00-18.00 Final day of the Edirne Kirkpinar of Oilwrestling at Sarayici. Tickets for the finals on sale one week in advance at Edirne's city hall, Sinan Cad. 1, faxreservation: (90-284) 214-8062

19.00 Tickerparade of the Champion through the streets of Edirne.

TRT int: 16:00 Tele Pazar (Sunday Market) with in this program live-coverage of the Edirne Kirkpinar, presented by Ali Kocatepe

20:25 and 01:10 SportNews (Spor Haberleri)

Read what STEPHEN KINZER wrote about the Kirkpinar in the New York Times.

Direct info by miss Ayse Aynur Erbek (Turizm Danisma 2139208). Press normaly gets together after the bouts in the Aga Kosku Restaurant near the Kirkpinar area (Sarayici Gures Alani)

All sites ©
by Mohamed el-Fers
Turkish Oilwrestling:Home

From Istanbul Taksim is a 45- minute shuttle bus to the terminal bus station Esenler Otogar. From there to Edirne in two and a half hours.

• Edirne Birlik (90-212) 658-1901. First bus 7:30 a.m., then hourly on the half-hour until 8:30 p.m.
• Radar (90-212) 658-0970. First at 7:45 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and then every half hour until 5:30 p.m. then every hour until 10:30 p.m.

• Balta Hotel **
  Talatpasa Asfalti 97
  225 52 10
• Efehotel **
  Maarif Cd. 13
  2136166
• Sultan Hotel *
  Londra Asfalti 42
  2251372
• Saban Acikgoz Hotel *
  Çilingirler Çarsisi 9
  2130313
• Rustem Pasa Kervansaray
  Tahmis Meydani
  2126119
• Park Hotel **
  Maarif Cd 2
  2135276, fax 2254635
• Fifi Motel
  Istanbul Yolu 9 km
  2357908
• Akasaray Pansiyon
  Alipasa Ortakapi Cd. 9
  2126035
• Kent Hotel
  Maarif Cd
  2251070
• Saray Hotel
  Eski Istanbul Cd
  2121457
• Londra Camp Kapikule
  238 23 11
• Omur Camping

Edirne municipality

Ministry of Culture about Gaieties in Edirne

Edirnem (Turkish)

Edirne guide

Early traveler in Edirne

TRT int | Kanal D | Fanatik | Anadolu Ajansý | Hürriyet | Dunya | Sabah | Aksam | Zaman | Turkish Daily News | MilliGazete

Oilwrestling forum (English)

Olieworstel Forum (Dutch)

Club: PehliFAN - the most pictures

Club: MSN Kirkpinar - more pictures

Postbox 58070
1040 HB Amsterdam
Tel. (+31) 020 - 684 57 12
Giro 639 14 12
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