The Turkish oil wrestling circus came to an ancient town. A picnic field near the obscure and little excavated Lelegian city of Pedasa, high in the hills above Bodrum, hosted a greasy competition of brute force and suspect hand insertions. The ancient smack down imported by the nomadic Turks from the windswept steppes of Central Asia was staged by the lubed-up lads in lederhosen (or kisbets as they’re correctly called) with enthusiasm and grunting gusto. Getting a slippery grip on a marinated boy basting in the midday sun would challenge the most dedicated follower of a bit of rough and tumble. It was an all-family affair with drums, horns and B-B-Q chicken. I’ll leave the last word to a Bodrum Belle of our acquaintance who supplied the snaps.
“Fat men getting feisty in flora! I even caught them having a soapy shower behind the fire engine afterwards but you will see that, for most of them, the greasy glory days are sadly over. Have you and Liam never fancied cavorting in Castrol?”
The answer’s no. We leave the homoerotic horseplay to the hetties. They do it so much better.
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I think I get the picture from your Bodrum Belle, peeking on them taking a shower! Ah well. Not sure what’s going on with the hand insertions though… although I can take a guess…
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All quite innocent, I’m sure
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Turkish oil wrestling? Who’d have thought it. Enjoy! 🙂
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Much more fun than all the fake WWF stuff!
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I remember the first time I was dragged along to see this spectacle when it came to Selçuk. I was reluctant and was sure I’d get bored after 10 minutes. Three hours later I was hooked. I absolutely love it. It’s far more exciting than I imagined it would be. And the noisy atmosphere is wonderful. A great day out.
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Fabulous isn’t it?
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This looks like the Edirne Oil Wrestling festival that starts in June. I’m a bit curious about the whole thing!
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As you probably know, this is Turkey’s official national sport and it’s fascinating to watch.
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Some of the chaps have let themselves go a bit since I last watched them. Eating too much olive oil rather than rubbing it in.
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Thanks for the best laugh I’ve had today!
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. . I was watching some paint dry the other day and I got to reminiscing about the time in Uluborlu at the Grease Wresting . . nice photos, mind!
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Nice to hear you’re keeping busy in your dotage!
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On our way to Kaş, we passed through a small town and my hubby said that was where they have the wrestling matches. Is it in more than one location? Different times? Someday I want to see these men in leather pants and olive oil. I get goosebumps just thinking about it!
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I think there are events in various parts of Turkey by the main annual tournament (a kind of wrestling world cup) is staged in Edirne in Thrace.
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