At the start of the Great Kaçkar Expedition, I drove from Erzurum to Trabzon via Bayburt and Gümüşhane.
I was concentrating on the endless twisting curves of the roads so I failed to take any photos. However, I met a lot of Bayburtlu at a cirit tournament in Okmeydanı.
Cirit is a sport that has been played in Turkey since about the 11th century when mounted nomadic tribes began to enter the area. A member of one team rides his horse towards the other team. He challenges a man by calling his name and hurling his javelin at him. The player who has been challenged now pursues the challenger with the aim of running him down and hitting him with his javelin. A feature of the sport is the ability to ride a horse with speed and accuracy whilst hanging from the side in order to present a smaller target for incoming javelins.
These photos were taken during a match between teams from Bayburt and Erzurum.
A player shows his pleasure at being challenged.
This man was the refreshment tent.
A challenger throws his javelin.
A player begins his response to a challenge.
Posted March 10, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
This man has the world's hairiest saddle
Posted March 10, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
The man who picks up the used javelins has the most dangerous job on the field.
Posted March 10, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
The ritual of drinking is vitally important to the atmosphere.
Posted March 10, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
Extra points are awarded for moustaches.
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