The Selçuk Efes Camel Wrestling Festival, in the eponymous town of the western province of Izmir, hosted some 20,000 spectators in its 40th edition held over the weekend.

One of the biggest events of its kind showcasing the culture of the Yörüks, nomadic Turks for whom camels are essential animals of burden for long journeys, the festival is high point of similar camel wrestling events organized every winter in western and southern Turkey, from Çanakkale to Antalya.

Camel wrestling traces its roots to the early 19th century and Incirliova, a town in Aydın province neighboring Izmir, is viewed as the main venue for wrestling. But over time, the festival in Selçuk has overshadowed it and today, it is regarded as the "Kırkpınar" of camel wrestling, just like how the titular oil wrestling event is the most prestigious for Turkey’s oil wrestlers.

The festival, which broke attendance records in the past, still remains popular and over the weekend, people from all around Turkey flocked into Pamucak Arena where camels were presented by their owners for wrestling. The chilly weather was no obstacle for wrestling enthusiasts as they watched camels, adorned with colorful saddles, roam the arena before the main event. Some spectators donned traditional costumes as colorful as the camels’ saddles, reflecting Yörük culture. For spectators, camel wrestling is part of an entertainment experience that includes folk dances and feasts around bonfires on the sides of the arena.

Amid loud applause and the seemingly unending sound of drums and zurna, a traditional wind instrument, 162 camels entered the arena. All are "Tülü" camels, hybrid camels born to dromedary and Bactrian camels. Male camels compete in four different categories and are trained to use skills against their rivals. Each are paired in accordance with their weights, and camels with skills different from each other are accordingly paired. Some seek to trip their opponents with foot tricks, while others apply a headlock and sit on their opponent. Others simply push the opponent until he gives up and retreats. The competitor that scares away his opponent, making him scream or causes him to collapse is declared the winner. Every camel is fitted with a muzzler to prevent them from biting each other during the wrestling, while their handlers stand nearby to separate camels with ropes and sticks if they become too violent.

Having a camel wrestling in the festival is a source of pride for the owners of the camels, which are very expensive animals to care for. Each camel consumes some 5 tons of animal feed yearly and for wrestling enthusiasts, they are a part of the family. Prized animals can be sold for more than $74,000 (TL 1 million).

The saddle is an inseparable accessory for wrestling camels, and every owner prefers saddles that bear the motifs of Yörük culture, with multiple colors and small mirrors and bells attached.

Bilgehan Oğuz, who heads a camel wrestling association, says this is "a sports of ancestors" for them and is a passion. "Life comes to a halt in villages and towns when the camel wrestling starts. Everyone rushes to see the festival. We even cancel our wedding plans. This is more a place for socialization for our people, where they eat, drink and form friendships," he said.

Camels, which carried the belongings of Yörüks for centuries as they migrated across Anatolia, are nowadays largely confined to rural parts of the country and their numbers are fewer compared to the past. But a camel culture still prevails, especially in western Turkey. In Incirliova, a project is underway to promote the production and consumption of camel milk. The town neighboring Selçuk hosts a camel farm supported by the European Union’s Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA). Locals also increased the production of camel milk cheese, while a camel meat version of sucuk, a spicy, fermented sausage widely consumed in Turkey, is popular in the region. Incirliova Mayor Aytekin Kaya said they only recently started camel milk cheese production and sought mass production. He said they also received a geographical indication mark for camel sucuk.