It
may be 2017, but Istanbul rolled back the years last weekend with the
Ethnic Sports Cultural Festival (EKF), which aims to promote the sports
practised by modern Turks' ancestors -- from the nomadic horsemen of
Central Asia to the Janissaries, the elite troops of the Ottoman empire.
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.
The
cavalry were taking part in "cirit", 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," said Erdem, 32, after dismounting.
The
festival is part of Erdogan's efforts to revive Turkey's Ottoman roots
after decades of Westernisation drive following the collapse of the
empire.
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," Bilal Erdogan, one of the
president's sons and an archery fan who is also EKF's sponsor, told AFP.
Art of war
A
huge area on the European side of Istanbul usually used for political
rallies was transformed into an Ottoman encampment for the four-day
event.
Wresters, archers and riders
showed off their skills in between traditional cooking workshops,
Central Asian dancing and carpet-weaving.
In
front of a yurt, Adnan Balavan takes part in a "sword and shield game"
consisting of simulating duels to produce a melody by rattling weapons.
"I
started at the age of eight. Today, I am 57 but my hair still stands on
end like the first day," said Balavan, originally from the northwestern
province of Bursa, which was the first Ottoman capital.
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Traditional archery was one of the main events(AFP)
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
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.
'Power of the Turks'
Traditional
Turkish wrestling champion Sadi Bakir -- bare-chested and covered in
oil -- said "interest in the sport has increased in recent times and the
state is investing more effort in this field".
As
a result, he said, "at the last European (wrestling) championships, we
won five gold medals. The past power of the Turks is re-emerging."
Yakup,
a traditional archery instructor, also said interest in the discipline
has exploded. "We have over 1,000 members" in his archery club, he said
as he put arrows in a leather quiver.
For
the master archer, young people's enthusiasm comes mainly from
television series about the Ottoman sultans which have multiplied in the
past few years.
Organisers said 800,000
people came to the festival, voicing hope that it would spark a passion
for the sports in schoolchildren visiting with their classes.
They
even dream of one day organising a "Turkish Olympics" bringing together
sportsmen and women from Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans.
"Some
people may not realise the importance of what we are doing here today,
but we will reap the fruits one day," Bilal Erdogan said during his
opening speech. "And God willing, the 21st century will be ours."
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