Kırkpınar Field of Contest

Kırkpınar Field of Contest is located in the town of Sarayiçi, which is connected to Edirne city center. July and June of each year to coincide with the beginning of the historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Tournament is organized here. Kırkpınar Field of Contest stands out as one of the city's landmarks due to the oil wrestling that has become traditional. There are various narrations about the origin of Kırkpınar Field of Contest, the sine qua non of Edirne, which is a world famous place when oil wrestling is mentioned. The most well-known of these is that during the founding years of the Ottoman Empire, Orhan Gazi's son Suleyman Pasha explored the region called ‘Kırklar’ which was the territory of the Byzantine Empire with his pioneer troops, where he defeated the soldiers and captured the fortresses, and then wrestled between them. In this story, which dates back to the 14th century, it is mentioned that the brothers Ali and Selim wrestled with each other, but they lost their lives in the end. Even in the place where these brothers are buried, the springs flow. This spring called as 'Kırkpınar' for the memory of the valiant wrestling tradition emerges.In time, it begins to be referred to as Kırkpınar. Kırkpınar Field of Contest, which hosts traditional sports competitions in the month of Hıdrellez and is the first place that comes to mind when it comes to Oil Wrestling, welcomes thousands of local and foreign visitors every year. Er Square, which hosts exciting oil wrestling matches, carries on a tradition that has been going on for centuries.