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Camel wrestling festival in Turkey's Selçuk
Camel wrestling festival in Turkey's Selçuk
The two large camels stand face to face, sizing each other up, before throwing themselves head-first at one another… The contests take place in the western Turkish town of Selçuk, at a site just a few minutes from the Aegean coast.
Each animal struggles to bite its adversary's feet to topple them, their long necks interlocking as the crowd cheers.
More than 2,000 people, many settled around little tables for picnics, spur on their favorite to win.
Camel culture in Turkey dates back to the Yörüks, a nomadic people whose ancestors were the ancient warrior Selçuks, who arrived in Anatolia during the 11th century.
As the nomads settled, the camels were used for the transport of goods, mainly towards the western ports of Turkey.
Nearly 90 such events have been organized to take place in the region from Çanakkale in the northwest to Antalya in the southwest between December and March.
Everyone at the arena insisted that all necessary measures are taken to protect the camels, including tying a cord around their mouth to limit the opening and biting.
The Selçuk festival, one of the most important, is held every year on the third weekend of January.
On the first day, there was the beauty contest, on the second, the main event - the wrestling.
The fights, for which there are no prizes, last a few minutes. They end after one camel manages to topple the other, or forces them to run away. Many of the duels end in a tie, with neither camel able to make the other submit.
From early on in the day, the mostly-male audience enjoys their picnic with a glass of rakı, a strong aniseed-flavored liquor. But this does not prevent them from reciting verses from the Koran before the festivities begin. (Photos by Bülent Kılıç / AFP) For the news piece click: hry.yt/vMkc6
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