The History of Sports in The Ottoman Empire

Introduction

The history of sports bases its work in the historiography traditions and functions within the physical education where the research publications describe the history of institutional history, achievement and organization of the sports people. This work comprehensively addresses the origin of sports and physical culture by describes in detail events and phenomena. We shall study the last period of the Ottoman Empire to envision the status of the history of sports. This paper seeks to look into sports education in the Ottoman Empire.

Sports fostered civic and ethnoreligious bonds between Muslims, Jews and Christians. For example, athletics clubs which were religion and ethnically homogenous were structure around sports which is a civic activity. The Jewish, Armenian and Turkish athletes, educators and government officials used sports and gymnastics to build a robust nation. Civic and private schools expansion led to spread of sports in Istanbul. Athletics and sports were incorporated into the school curriculum. The establishment of Robert college and Mekteb I sultan exposed students to the culture of sport and significantly led to its development ("Introduction: The Last Days Of Ottoman Rule 1876-1918")

History of Ottoman sports

The history of Ottoman sports and gymnastics development began at the end of the 19th century. It is in this period that the first societies and athletic clubs were formed. The Kutlus sports club was the first club established for young Greek young men. In fact, due to the spreading popularity of the football in the 19th century Constantinople the European model sports clubs were formed. In the early foundation of the Ottoman empire the main sports the ottomans engaged in were Mountain climbing, horseback riding, swimming, arm wrestling, hunting, Turkish wrestling, fencing, hunting, Turkish archery and equestrian javelin throw (Yildiz & Murat, 2018). Some examples of the leading clubs include the Galatasaray sports club, gymnastics club, Fernabache sports club and Besiktas.

According to historians such as Bernard Lewis, team sports are basically western culture invention. The roots of cricket can also be traced to British who lived in Ottoman Empire. One of the earliest references is in a travel memoir by Robert Walpole who reported British merchant playing cricket in 1806 in ancient ruins. Illustrated London News of November 1980 depicts a game played in Ottoman Empire as part of the British superiority display. This led to the development of first ottoman cricket club Fenerbache Cricket Club from 1911 to 1914.

The second Ottoman sultan Orhan Bey placed sports in the state's affairs because he considered sports to be very important. His successors were also encouraged to consider sports as important as he did. As a result sports education started to take place in the Medresen educational institutions and Enderun Royal palace schools (DailySabah. 2018).

Sports and physical education in the ottoman were not given theoretically but as practice and physical exercise in the educational institutions. Kirkpinar wrestling contest which is one of the first sports organizations appeared first in the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century. They were organized and practiced for military training purpose and as war games. An example of an educational institution was known as Tekkes or dervish lodges. The centers were also referred to as schools of informal education and public schools. These centers for Turkish Islam Sufism were used to train and educate ordinary people in fields such as linguistics, religion, philosophy, arts and sports (Lapidus, Ira 2014). Some of the Tekkes in the Ottoman Empire were solely structured like a sports center.

Sports Institutions

Wrestling was an inherited national sport for Ottoman. However, horse riding, the iron mace, jeered and archery was taught and practiced in the Tekkes. It is believed that the sports association of our time originated from the Tekkes which were also first ottoman centers (Google Books. 2018). They offered more opportunities and better social insurance to the athletes a feature that makes them different from today's sports association. The sports Tekkes started losing their functions during the declining time of the empire. However, they existed until the 20th century as the most important among the three sports institutions that facilitated sports development.

The second sports institution was the Waqifs. These were foundations and charity organizations. They were a structure like institutions in the ottoman foundation system and were associated with waqifs. It was established as a place where wrestles could train and perform their wrestling skills in championships and thus they entertained the public (Yildiz, Murat 2018).

These institutions used their resources and means without demanding help from other institutions. They served the needy people especially those who involved themselves in the sports affairs and activities. Bey's orphan wife established the first Waqif in the southern part of the city in Pinarbasi after an invasion of Bursa. The sultans, wealthy people, viziers, pashas, masters and big landowners supported the athletes in the waqifs. Later on, the waqifs associated with Tekkes and to be known as Tekkes of wrestlers. A good example of Tekkes includes Ahmet Effendi Remote Tekke in Siraseviler in Istanbul.

The Aga system or the lordship system was the third sports institution I the Ottoman Empire. This kind of lordship system hosted Kirkpinar wrestling championship and stood identical with utmost generosity. It is still considered to be a temporary although surprisingly it existed more than 650 years ago. The main goal of this system was to support sports. This institution was established early in the fourteenth century. Aga was the person responsible for inviting spectators and wrestlers giving free accommodating athletes, greeting guests, giving rewards and security for the wrestling championship to take place.

Tarcan Selim Sirri was the pioneer of the modern sports in the Ottoman Empire (The Sport Journal. 2018). He was born in 1874 in Yenisehir Greece. He was a graduate from the Military engineering school and Galatasaray Lycee. He then acted as the sports instructor in public schools. He also worked as the sports editor for the Servet I Funun. He then went to Sweden between 1909 and 1911 where he studied physical education and gymnastics at royal military Academy. Upon his return, he opened the first sports private school. He also contributed to the instruction expansion in the Ottoman gymnastics schools.

The sporting culture among the Ottoman people at first was manifested in the preparation of war during peacetime. After adopting Islam, the Turks normally preferred sports which were helpful during the war and hence they gave little regard to the other branches of sports. War sports were in demand both in the palace and the locals living in the countryside. Young men were given the priority to train in the shooting and horse riding. Sultans' sons and young people proficient in sports were taken to palace schools to train as statesmen (Google Books. 2018). Rowing races on the Bosporus and mostly on the golden horn was very popular. Sultan Abdul-Aziz founded Rowing teams and races because he was very passionate about everything related to the sea.

The Association of Ottoman Navy took the leadership of holding Moda rowing races. In 1915 sailing started in Istanbul with sailboats which were seized from European sailboats. On the other hand, the Kirkpinal Wrestling competition continued being held in Erdine capital Erdine. For long wrestling is considered as Turkey's national sport. It is actually considered an ancestral competition.

The ottoman made it a common and they went ahead to win international prizes while at the same time paving the way for modern sports. Similarly, cycling competition was held in Ottoman Empire for instance in Fernabache in 1912 (Introduction: The Last Days Of Ottoman Rule 1876-1918). Archery, on the other side, attracted the interests of the sultans. It is fact said that the sultans joined and won the competitions. Their names were engraved on the stones marking their success.

In 1361 the first oil wrestling tournament also known as the Kirkpinar competition was held in Edirne Turkish city. Kirkpinar Competition is also practiced today. Even when the first modern Olympics game was held in Athens in 1896 Kirkpinar competition was already a time-honored tradition. This oil wrestling involves dousing the bodies and attire of the wrestlers with a mixture of water and olive oil. The Ottoman Sultans and elites were actively involved in organizing competitions and wrestling (Google Books. 2018). Some sultans even become wrestlers themselves, for example, Murad IV. Some of these sports like the Kirkpinar competition were tied spiritually through prayers. In fact, the Ottoman era oil wrestling survived the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Shooting becomes a popular sport after the swords lost their popularity and firearms became common shooting emerged as a sport. In royal families of Europe and high society, fencing was very popular. Fencing was made compulsory in military schools by Ottoman sultan Abdul amid 2. Selim Sirri Tarcan also contributed in sports history in the Ottoman Empire. After 1908 he He was a specialized in gymnastics and was very passionate about the Swedish gymnastics styles without apparatus. He went to Sweden and brought the styles back when he came back to ottoman. After 1868, gymnastics were taught in class.

Before the republican period, the Ottoman Empire was constantly fighting with its enemies between 1650s and 1920. This weakened the nation's political and economic strength such that sports were not given the due attention due the war crisis. However, the Agas and sports Tekkes provided sports management and shelter (DailySabah. 2018).

For example, the Istanbul was the largest of all Tekkes and provided shelter to around 300 athletes most of them were wrestlers. Sultan palace also provided sports services in some instances. In the Turkish sport's history, this period is referred to as the protectionism. Although no there was no effort for sports institution development the services enhanced athletic performance during this period. At the beginning of the 20th-century attention was given to specific issues regarding sports when Turkish educated in in Europe returned with western views of sports.

Strong nationalistic sentiments were evoked after the declaration of Tanzimat and the Turks inspired toward increased participation in the political, cultural and educational fields. The Ottoman sultans' often suppressed such development including participation in sports (DailySabah. 2018). Despite the efforts by Sultan A. Hamit II dismantle the cultural, social and intellectual societies and clubs, there were clubs which performed freely through support from rich friends to the sultan and military general.

In Turkish history, the modern sports stated with football. First football matches were held in Thessaloniki in 1875 and 1890 in Istanbul. Similarly was founded by Muslim young men on the condition that they wouldn't play football in 1903. The authoritarian rule did not allow such clubs for the fear that they would cause political upheavals (Krawietz, Birgit 2014).

The sultan did not intervene in sports and people lives he only strictly controlled politics. He showed tolerance to the sporting clubs which, arguably, he used to gather intelligence. After the constitutional monarch the there was high demand for football and modern sports. Many sports club and leagues were established where they were supported by the committee of Union and progress which was in power at the time. They considered sports as a vessel for its national policies.

The Ottoman government was forced to ban restrictions that blocked the formation of the athletic clubs and association in the country due to prevailing conditions. The staff of British embassy organized a soccer tournament in Istanbul in 1913 in honor of British commander General Harrington in Istanbul.

The embassy also formed sports clubs and societies which would have been banned by the government before this period. Athletics club was also formed during the invasion taking advantage of the vulnerability. It's worth pointing out that British influence on Turks was noticeable especially in soccer. In 1886 the first rugby and football clubs were formed in Moda Istanbul (The Sport Journal. 2018). Similarly, through the Chester project in Istanbul, the American introduced basketball with financial and technical assistance in 1919. In 1880 the Turks were allowed to participate in sports against the British clubs.

The participation in sports evolved slowly because clubs were initially concerned with the game of sports. Sports which attracted more attention such as athletics, wrestling and basketball were only added later. Participation in sports, however, increased overwhelmingly in the first quarter of the 20th century. For the first time, the Turkish sport needed a federation because there were so many clubs at the same time. Before the World War I there was about 40 Armenian athletics clubs in Constantinople.

The Armenian sportsmen sports club played a big role in the sports development in the Ottoman Empire. Armenian sports and gymnastics development history began at the end of the 19th century. It is during this period that first club and society's development formed. The rule of sultan forbid engagement in sports, those who were found capable were punished by law. Between 1911 and 1914 Marnamrz sports magazine was published. Also during this period, the four Armenian Olympic Games were held in Constantinople. In 1912 represented Ottoman Turkey in the Fifth International Olympic games In Stockholm by Vahram Papazian and Mkrtich Mkryan. The participation of the two Armenian sportsmen in the Olympics was a unique phenomenon in the Ottoman Empire history of sports (Wittek, Paul 2013).

However many Armenian sportsmen fell victims to Armenian genocide thereafter. Mkrtich Mkyrian, Grigor Hakobian, Shavarsh and other first Armenian athletes played a plated a significant role in propagating athletics among ottoman Armenians. The Marmnamarz was a major instrument in the athletic life and sports development among the Armenian instrument. The magazine published photos of Armenian football teams and athletes and also various sports games and their results. The publication of this magazine stopped after the Armenian genocide. The editor Shavarsh Christian was among the sportsmen that were victims of the genocide.

Conclusion

Sports including wrestling and other traditions have survived many centuries with some being practiced today. For example, wrestling, fencing, cycling and boxing were organized and spread across Turkey after the 1920s. Enver Pash who had a special interest in the horses encouraged horse riding. Ottoman cavalry was started the sports branch continued during the republican period. Since Turks view wrestling as an ancestor sport, they have made it common and have gone ahead to win many tiles. Gymnastic was taught in classes in ottoman schools after 1868. The ottoman sports education has a rich history with some of the sports being practiced today.