grations westward, possibly influenced by shuaijiao (shuai-chiao) and
other sources of Chinese and Mongolian wrestling. Turkey was overrun by
the Persians in the sixth century B.C., remained under Persian domination
until the invasion of Alexander (334 B.C.), and was a part of the Roman
Empire (through the Byzantine period) until the eleventh-century invasions
of the Seljuk Turks. Even today, in the former “Turkish” republics of the
former Soviet Union, such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, lo-
cal wrestling traditions influenced by both classical European and Asian
styles survive among the local populations and nomads. History provides
various glimpses of Turkish wrestling, and gymnasiums for wrestlers
(tekke) began to appear by the fifteenth century.
Today, Turkish wrestling, known as Yagli-Gures,is one of the nation’s
most popular sports, and there is evidence that this is a form related to Per-
sian/Iranian koshti.Similarities abound. Wrestlers wear trousers only; they
otherwise are naked and do not wear shoes. Turkish wrestling is unique in
that the competitors, known as pehlivans,oil themselves down completely be-
fore a match. Note that the name pehlivanresembles the term for traditional
Iranian wrestlers (pahlavani). The foregoing characteristics argue for a strong
link between this system and Iranian systems, as do many of the techniques.
Middle East 341Alireza Dabir of Iran waves his country’s flag after winning the gold medal for freestyle wrestling at the Sydney
Olympics, October 1, 2000. (Reuters NewMedia Inc./Corbis)