Camel Wrestling

Aegean Turkish traditional sport — two trained bull dromedaries push and lock necks; first to fall or flee loses.

👥1 per team🌤outdoor
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What is Camel Wrestling?

Camel wrestling is a traditional sport of Turkey's Aegean region, in which two trained bull dromedaries (called tülü) push and lock necks during the winter mating season. A bout ends when one camel falls, flees or refuses to continue. The annual Selçuk Camel Wrestling Festival, held every January near Ephesus since 1982, is the sport's marquee event.

Quick facts

Category

Combat Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

outdoor

Country of origin

🇹🇷 Türkiye

Estimated origin

Ancient Turkic Anatolian nomadic tradition (>2,000 years)

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified