Merzifon, Turkey - Wrestling
Wrestling at the Annual Fair at Marsovan - former location of American School in Asia Minor. Known as Merzifon today. Capital of the Amasya Province in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. Population of Merzifon is 45, 500. Merzifon's name comes from Merz (meaning castle in Persian) and Fon (meaning bridge in Arabic). Famous for a chickpea and meat stew called Keskek. Yagli gures (Turkish wrestling) is the Turkish national sport. It is commonly known as oil wrestling (sometimes as grease wrestling) because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. It is related to Uzbek Kurash, Tuvan Khuresh and to Tatar Koras. The wrestlers, known as pehlivan (from Persian meaning hero or champion') wear a type of hand-stitched lederhosen called kisbet (sometimes kispet), which were traditionally made of water buffalo hide, but now also of calf leather
