Camel Wrestling Festival in Ephesus
NEW YORK - Reuters
The 30th Selçuk-Ephesus Camel Wrestling Festival, organized by the Selçuk Ephesus Culture and Tourism Foundation, begins today. Unlike previous years, the festival, which is attended by thousands of people every year, will continue for three days this year until Jan. 15.
The festival will begin today with the “Kervan Molası” event during which camels will walk and viewers will be offered traditional foods. A photography exhibition titled “Camel Wrestling from Past to Present” will also be opened today.
On the second day of the festival, a competition will be organized and the best-decorated camel will be selected. The winning camel will win a “Golden Mortar.”
The wrestling itself will be organized on Jan. 15 in the Pamucak Camel Wrestling Arena. Some 110 camels, including the winner of the last five years, “Çılgın Özer,” will participate in the competition. The festival, which was included in the Guinness Record Book in 1994 with 20,000 viewers, is expected to draw thousands of tourists this year as well.
