This monograph will address the following questions: "What was the perspective of Turkic peoples on wrestling branch of sports and what was the cultural aspect of wrestling for social structures and lifestyles of Turkic peoples? What type of a transformation did wrestle experience? What is its current state at national level?" Problem: The problem of this research pertains to the fact that the richness of traditional wrestling which is known to possess a deep-seated reputation in Turkish history of sports and occupy an affluent position in Turkish sports tradition is not well-reflected in the literature at national and international levels, its traditional cultural elements are lost along with globalization and it is likely to end up being almost erased from national memories. Objective: This modest study sought to find an answer to the question as to how Turkic peoples perceived traditional wrestling in religious, national, political, military, economic and social domains of life and aimed to incorporate the finding into the literature rightly. Methodology: From among qualitative research methods, descriptive and comparative research techniques were implemented in this study. Result: It was deduced that wrestling which was one of the primary activities in socio-cultural structures and lifestyles of ancient Turkic peoples was viewed as a social value and even as a social norm beyond being just a branch of sports, possessed embedded and rich rituals, but began to lose its meaning along with the disappearance of most of these rituals, and even if it was affected adversely by globalization, there still existed affection towards wrestling and the wrestler.

Cop is a slightly elliptical, knot-free stick made of flexible and dry wood, the length of which is 80 cm, and edges of which are blunted. The game played on horseback with this stick called cop is named particularly as 'Egyptian Wood Game'. It is a traditional equestrian game in which competitors on horseback try to make the sticks, by hitting them on the ground, bounce over a thick rope connecting two poles with heights of 5-6 m and a distance of approximately 6-7 m in between. The Egyptian Wood Game played frequently in Ottoman period and in the 1960s in Turkey was no more practiced in Turkey for the last fifty years except a few locations in the West Anatolia. Significance: Almost every day, a traditional cultural element disappears also in Turkey which is among the countries deeply affected by the globalization of the world. This study was conducted because the scope of studies on these issues diminished and there were even no theoretical resources as sometimes there were no practical sources. Objective: introduction of this traditional game, which does not exist in written records, to the Turkic sports literature by correctly underlining its rules and procedures. Methodology: Monograph was composed in the form a compilation, also observations were included by paying a visit to Karapurcek town of Susurluk district of Balikesir province of Turkey and certain unique and distinctive images were used. Result: It was deduced that Egyptian wood game which was known to be played in the palace and its environs in the late period of Ottomans was especially an integral part of social ceremonies in the West Anatolia until the 1960s, and as of the 1960s, lost gradually its character making it the constituent part of festivals and at present, was practiced only in a limited format in a few small local festivals in combination with a performance of drum and clarion. Keywords: Egyptian stick, cop (stick), equestrian sports, traditional game

The role of horses in different cultures is quite various and can be discussed from many aspects. In this paper, I will shed some light on the training of mounts and I would like to argue that Turkic/ Nomadic peoples had a high level of knowledge about horsemanship. It does not mean that they trained all their horses in the same way and on the same level, but it is most likely that they have had trainings similar to what is called Academic Art of Riding today and their methods and results are very interesting – especially if we can find some more tiny details in our sources about that. The horses were important not only in everyday life of nomadic peoples, but in warfare as well, and if we consider this unique connection between soldiers and their animals, namely to be each others' companion in everyday life and battles, one can not wonder if the horse had an important role in the life and afterlife of Turkic warriors. If the Turk is a one-man team, than the horse will be the carrier of his life in most ways. As the companion of warriors, this animal and its training would deserve more attention in the medieval military history.

This monograph will address the following questions: “What was the perspective of Turkic peoples on wrestling branch of sports and what was the cultural aspect of wrestling for social structures and lifestyles of Turkic peoples? What type of a transformation did wrestle experience? What is its current state at national level?” Problem: The problem of this research pertains to the fact that the richness of traditional wrestling which is known to possess a deep-seated reputation in Turkish history of sports and occupy an affluent position in Turkish sports tradition is not well-reflected in the literature at national and international levels, its traditional cultural elements are lost along with globalization and it is likely to end up being almost erased from national memories. Objective: This modest study sought to find an answer to the question as to how Turkic peoples perceived traditional wrestling in religious, national, political, military, economic and social domains of life a...

The aim of this study is to give brief information about camel wrestling events which are commonly held in Western Turkey at certain times in the year. Even today, camel wrestling shows are still important social events in part of Turkish society. The distribution of camel wrestling and the organizations in Turkey which promote them, and the economic and cultural significance of these events, will also be examined, especially since these wrestling events may provide new economic opportunities in terms of tourism.