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81-530: Oil wrestling is a sport at the forefront of traditional Turkish sports . Wrestling was held in all of the fairs organized all over the Ottoman Empire, but the wrestler who won the "chief" title only in Kırkpınar was known as the "chief wrestler" until the next year's Kırkpınar wrestling. This idea continues to this day. The contestants wear only leather knee-length shorts called kıspet s. Before each bout,

162-436: A common respect for the oil-wrestlers. The pehlivan is described as being stronger than anybody, having a well built body, and clothed in heavy leather pants. From the past until now, the wrestlers have poured olive oil onto their bodies. In addition, it is still possible to see younger wrestlers kissing the hands of older athletes despite having defeated them, which is a gesture of respect. According to historian Burhan Katia,

243-515: A hypothetical Thracian * Donaris . The Proto-Indo-European root of this presumed name is related to the Iranic word " don- "/" dan- ", while the supposed suffix -aris is encountered in the ancient name of the Ialomița River , Naparis , and in the unidentified Miliare river mentioned by Jordanes in his Getica . Gábor Vékony says that this hypothesis is not plausible, because

324-575: A message to the King of the Huns and asked Attila to become her champion. Attila agreed to this marriage proposal. When the sister of the Roman Emperor was imprisoned, Attila decided to take care of her dowry. As Honoria was not available, next year Attila took a new, young bride named Ildico. The wedding day was spent with one of the greatest wrestling matches of this time. During the period when Islam

405-541: A ram or sheep. The highest bidder became the "agha" of the next year's Kırkpınar and the main sponsor of the event. When in 1928 an economic depression hit Turkey and no agha could be found, Selim Sırrı Tarcan made the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) and the Institute of Child Care (Çocuk Esirgeme Kurumu) responsible for the organization and hosting of the guests. In the olden days of the event, an agha

486-451: A winner would continue the next day. After 1975, wrestling was limited to 40 minutes in the başpehlivan category. If there is no winner within these limits, the pehlivans wrestle for 15 more minutes with scores recorded. Those who score the most points in this last period are accepted as the winners. In other categories, the wrestling time is limited to 30 minutes. If there is no winner, ten minutes of scored wrestling follows. On 20 June 1996,

567-535: Is 4,152 km (1,603 sq mi), of which 3,446 km (1,331 sq mi) are in Romania. If one includes the lagoons of Razim-Sinoe (1,015 km (392 sq mi) of which 865 km (334 sq mi) water surface), which are located south of the delta proper, but are related to it geologically and ecologically (their combined territory is part of the World Heritage Site),

648-664: Is also home to numerous diverse carp and sturgeon , as well as salmon and trout . A few species of euryhaline fish, such as European seabass , mullet , and eel , inhabit the Danube Delta and the lower portion of the river. Today the river carries its name from its source confluence in Donaueschingen , Germany , to its discharge into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine . The river

729-612: Is divided into three main parts, separated by "gates" where the river is forced to cut through mountainous sections: Mean annual discharge on the hydrological stations (period from 2000 to 2023); 1 - Reni , Isaccea ; 2 - Silistra ; 3 - Pristol ; 4 - Batina , Bezdan ; 5 - Nagymaros , Szob ; 6 - Bratislava , Wolfsthal ; 7 - Untergriesbach Multiannual average, minimum and maximum discharge (water period from 1876 to 2010) Simulated water and suspended sediment results from climate-driven decadal study (with STD through specific decade): P – Simulated average precipitation in

810-657: Is estimated that the Danube upper course will one day disappear entirely in favor of the Rhine, an event called stream capturing . The hydrological parameters of Danube are regularly monitored in Croatia at Batina , Dalj , Vukovar and Ilok . The Danube basin was the site of some of the earliest human cultures. The Danubian Neolithic cultures include the Linear Pottery cultures of the mid-Danube basin. Many sites of

891-685: Is gaining popularity among non-Turkish people as well. In the days after the news was released, organisers received about 950 letters from oil-wrestlers throughout Turkey, who would enter competition for the title of Euro-champion of the Amsterdam Kırkpınar. In 1997, the "Mother of All Sports" débuted in Western Europe, when the European Champions League was held in Amsterdam. No less than 22 television teams covered

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972-524: Is the strong-man in popular culture (in Persian the term is "big neck"), but he is also the pahlavan, the knightly hero, who is a free-living spirit and is generous and loyal. The year 1360 is adopted by the organizers of the Edirne Kırkpınar as the date when Ottoman soldiers started to organize annual oil-wrestling tournaments in Kırkpınar, a wrestling field "within the samona village". According to

1053-686: Is to implement the Danube River Protection Convention by promoting and coordinating sustainable and equitable water management, including conservation, improvement, and rational use of waters and the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the Danube Strategy . The Danube Commission is concerned with the maintenance and improvement of the river's navigation conditions. It was established in 1948 by seven countries bordering

1134-701: The Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodos (Argon. IV. 282). At the end of the Okeanos Potamos , is the holy island of Alba (Leuke, Pytho Nisi, Isle of Snakes ), sacred to the Pelasgian (and later, Greek) Apollo, greeting the sun rising in the east. Hecateus Abderitas refers to Apollo's island from the region of the Hyperboreans, in the Okeanos. It was on Leuke, in one version of his legend, that

1215-647: The Black Forest south into the Black Sea . A large and historically important river, it was once a frontier of the Roman Empire . In the 21st century, it connects ten European countries, running through their territories or marking a border. Originating in Germany , the Danube flows southeast for 2,850 km (1,770 mi), passing through or bordering Austria , Slovakia , Hungary , Croatia , Serbia , Romania , Bulgaria , Moldova , and Ukraine . Among

1296-410: The Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine . Once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire , the river passes through or touches the borders of 10 countries. Its drainage basin extends into nine more (ten if Kosovo is included). In addition to the bordering countries (see above), the drainage basin includes parts of nine more countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina (4.6% of

1377-576: The Bystroye Canal . In 2022, there was a major heat wave in Europe. As a result, there was less water flowing in the rivers. As the water level decreased, a number of ship wrecks from World War II emerged in the Danube River. Many of the ships were from Nazi Germany 's Black Sea Fleet and had been scuttled to stop them from falling into enemy hands. The International Commission for

1458-588: The Celtic ' danu ' or ' don ' (both Celtic gods), which itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European * deh₂nu . Other European river names from the same root include the Dunaj, Dzvina/ Daugava , Don , Donets , Dnieper , Dniestr , Dysna and Tana/Deatnu . In Rigvedic Sanskrit , danu (दनु) means "fluid, dewdrop" and danuja (दनु-ज) means "born from danu " or "born from dew-drops". In Avestan ,

1539-713: The Danubian Limes was the northeastern border of the Empire, with occasional interruptions such as the fall of the Danubian Limes in 259. The crossing of the Danube into Dacia was achieved by the Imperium Romanum , first in two battles in 102 and then in 106 after the construction of a bridge in 101 near the garrison town of Drobeta at the Iron Gate. This victory over Dacia under Decebalus enabled

1620-739: The Greeks from Iran. The Huns arrived on the fringes of the Roman Empire in the late 4th century, moved on horseback out of the steppes of Central Asia into Germany and France. As they approached the Black Sea and conquered the Ostrogoths , they also drove the Visigoths across the Danube into the Roman Empire, causing the crisis that led to the astounding defeat of the Roman army under

1701-492: The Guinness Book of World Records , this legend made Kırkpınar the world's oldest continuously sanctioned sporting competition. Once, the last bout between the two finalists was said to last through the night as neither was able to defeat the other. They were found dead the next morning, their bodies still intertwined. They were buried underneath a nearby fig tree, whereupon their comrades headed to conquer Edirne. After

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1782-474: The Belt was limited to 1450g of 14-carat gold. The Kırkpınar wrestling competitions of Edirne were still held under the protectorate of the " Agha ". The Agha welcomed his guests and accommodated them in the hotel, held dinners, and organized festivities. Also, he awarded the prizes to the winners in their categories. Just before the final of the Kırkpınar, the organizing Agha held an auction. The bids were placed on

1863-431: The Danube basin; T – Simulated average temperature in the Danube basin; Q – Simulated average discharge in the Danube River at delta; S – Simulated sediment load in the Danube River at delta ; Historical average flow to the present day; Measured and reconstructed average water flows from 1742. The reconstructed and observed streamflow (Q – m /s) at Ceatal Izmail for the 1742 to 2022: The land drained by

1944-1040: The Danube extends into many other countries. Many Danubian tributaries are important rivers in their own right, navigable by barges and other shallow-draught boats. From its source to its outlet into the Black Sea, its main tributaries are (as they enter): 18. Tisza (entering near Titel ) 19. Sava (entering at Belgrade ) 20. Timiș (river) (entering at Pančevo ) 21. Great Morava (entering near Smederevo ) 22. Mlava (entering near Kostolac ) 23. Karaš (entering near Banatska Palanka ) 24. Jiu (entering at Bechet ) 25. Iskar (entering near Gigen ) 26. Olt (entering at Turnu Măgurele ) 27. Osam (entering near Nikopol, Bulgaria ) 28. Yantra (entering near Svishtov ) 29. Argeș (entering at Oltenița ) 30. Ialomița 31. Siret (entering near Galați ) 32. Prut (entering near Galați ) The Danube flows through many cities, including four national capitals (shown below in bold), more than any other river in

2025-641: The Danube has been a traditional trade route in Europe. Today, 2,415 km (1,501 mi) of its total length are navigable. The Danube is linked to the North Sea via the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal , connecting the Danube at Kelheim with the Main at Bamberg . The river is also an important source of hydropower and drinking water . The Danube river basin is home to such fish species as pike , zander , huchen , Wels catfish , burbot and tench . It

2106-643: The Danube was variously known as Danubius , Danuvius , Ister or Hister . The Latin name is masculine, as are all its Slavic names, except Slovene (the name of the Rhine is also masculine in Latin, most of the Slavic languages, as well as in German). The German Donau ( Early Modern German Donaw , Tonaw , Middle High German Tuonowe ) is feminine, as it has been re-interpreted as containing

2187-610: The Danube's, today subsurface rivers carry much water from the Danube to the Rhine. On many days in the summer, when the Danube carries little water, it completely oozes away noisily into these underground channels at two locations in the Swabian Alb, which are referred to as the Donauversickerung ( Danube Sink ). Most of this water resurfaces only 12 km (7.5 mi) south at the Aachtopf , Germany's wellspring with

2268-522: The Danube. Today the Commission include riparian and non-riparian states. Although the headwaters of the Danube are relatively small today, geologically, the Danube is much older than the Rhine , with which its catchment area competes in today's southern Germany. This has a few interesting geological complications. Since the Rhine is the only river rising in the Alps mountains which flows north towards

2349-457: The Devşirme system, the healthiest and strongest young men were recruited from the various provinces of the Ottoman Empire, and pehlivans trained from Devşirme boys were always known to be free enough to be honest, and throughout history trusted for their word and behaviour. Wrestling championships were held everywhere in the Ottoman Empire. Every city and village had its annual wrestling event, like

2430-649: The Edirne Municipality responsible for the organization of the Edirne Kırkpınar. That same year, Mayor Sipka made the Edirne Kırkpınar a municipal service. During a year, about 300 different oil-wrestling games are held in Turkey. They host an average of ten million spectators. Until 1975, there was no time-limit for wrestling in Kırkpınar. The pehlivans would sometimes wrestle one or two days, until they could establish superiority over their foes. Wrestling games would last from 9am until dusk and matches without

2511-545: The Emperor Valens near Adrianople (Edirne) in 378 AD. The Huns were fanatic wrestlers as well as horsemen. After securing a strong position on the Roman side of the Danube, the Huns were checked by the Roman army of general Aspar in Thrace (442). In 447, Pehlivan Attila came again into Thrace and stopped only when Emperor Thodosius II begged for terms. During the negotiations, a Roman-Hun wrestling competition

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2592-693: The Greeks borrowed the Istros form from the native Thracians. He proposes that the Romanian name is a loanword from a Turkic language ( Cuman or Pecheneg ). Classified as an international waterway , it originates in the town of Donaueschingen , in the Black Forest of Germany , at the confluence of the rivers Brigach and Breg . The Danube then flows southeast for about 2,730 km (1,700 mi), passing through four capital cities ( Vienna , Bratislava , Budapest , and Belgrade ) before emptying into

2673-731: The North Sea, an invisible line beginning at Piz Lunghin divides large parts of southern Germany, which is sometimes referred to as the European Watershed . Before the last ice age in the Pleistocene , the Rhine started at the southwestern tip of the Black Forest, while the waters from the Alps that today feed the Rhine were carried east by the so-called Urdonau (original Danube). Parts of this ancient river's bed, which

2754-610: The Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) is an organization that consists of 14 member states (Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Montenegro, and Ukraine) and the European Union . The commission, established in 1998, deals with the whole Danube river basin, which includes tributaries and groundwater resources. Its goal

2835-648: The Province of Dacia to be created, but in 271 it was abandoned by emperor Aurelian . Avars used the river as their southeastern border in the 6th century. Part of the rivers Danubius or Istros was also known as (together with the Black Sea) the Okeanos in ancient times, being called the Okeanos Potamos (Okeanos River). The lower Danube was also called the Keras Okeanoio (Gulf or Horn of Okeanos) in

2916-702: The Serbian and the Romanian stretches of the Danube. However, the transgressions may not be considered acts of piracy, as defined according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , but rather instances of "river robbery". On the other hand, media reports say the crews on transport ships often steal and sell their own cargo and then blame the plundering on "pirates", and the alleged attacks are not piracy but small-time contraband theft along

2997-702: The Turkish Federation of Traditional Sport Branches (Geleneksel Spor Dallari Federasyonu) was founded by the Turkish Ministry. Riding, oil-wrestling, aba-wrestling and other traditional sports were assembled in the same federation under Alper Yazoğlu. During the 636th annual Kırkpınar of Edirne, Agha (mc) Hüseyin Sahin agreed with Veyis Güngör, the chairman of Türkevi Amsterdam , and Mohamed el-Fers (MokumTV Amsterdam) that they would unite their forces to promote traditional oil-wrestling in Europe and

3078-617: The Turkish wrestling pants are made of leather and are called "kispet", while the Iranian pahlivan wears a "pirpet", made of silk. Famous wrestlers from Iran came to Istanbul to compete with the Ottoman champions, and the Turkish champions were invited to Persia to show their strength. Before 1582, all wrestlers were obtained from prisoners of war, the Devşirme , or other slave sources. With

3159-724: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 206129516 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:59:17 GMT Danube The Danube ( / ˈ d æ n . j uː b / DAN -yoob ; see also other names ) is the second-longest river in Europe , after the Volga in Russia . It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe , from

3240-525: The Zurkhane, literally "house of strength". The building consists of a court, around which the men who will perform, arrange themselves, and a gallery for the ostad ("master") or morshed (spiritual leader) and the musicians. Nowadays, the musical accompaniment consists of a drum and recitation of portions of Ferdowsi's Shahname . Various rhythms are employed, and a variety of movements associated with them, including displays of strength in manipulating heavy objects (such as weights and chains) and acrobatics. Here

3321-488: The basin area), the Czech Republic (2.9%), Slovenia (2.0%), Montenegro (0.9%), Switzerland (0.2%), Italy (<0.15%), Poland (<0.1%), North Macedonia (<0.1%) and Albania (<0.1%). The total drainage basin is 801,463 km (309,447 sq mi) in area, and is home to 83 million people. The highest point of the drainage basin is the summit of Piz Bernina at the Italy–Switzerland border , at 4,049 m (13,284 ft). The Danube River Basin

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3402-431: The conquest, the soldiers came upon another fig tree, surrounded by a crystal-clear spring, so they renamed the surrounding meadow (which until then had been known as Ahirköy) Kırkpınar, which translates from Turkish as "forty springs" or "forty sources". To commemorate the heroism of the conquering warriors, a wrestling tournament is re-enacted annually at this site. In all tales, myths, and stories, there has always been

3483-471: The distance to the Black Sea by 400 km (250 mi); the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal is about 171 km (106 mi), finished in 1992, linking the North Sea to the Black Sea. A Danube-Aegean canal has been proposed. Danube River cruise for sightseeing is popular, especially between Passau , Germany, to Budapest , Hungary. In 2010–12, shipping companies, especially from Ukraine, claimed that their vessels suffered from "regular pirate attacks " on

3564-402: The elite Janissary Corps. When the Ottoman sultan visited France in 1867, oil-wrestlers were part of his entourage and Impératrice Eugenie visited the wrestling-tournament. Wrestling was a tough sport, but oil-wrestling was even harder. It was considered the most difficult sport in the world. After the Balkan War of 1912, the event's original Kırkpınar location was lost, so the tournament

3645-436: The event, and scenes from the Amsterdam Kırkpınar were shown on CNN and the BBC alike. The 2nd European Oil-Wrestling Championship held in Amsterdam already had a final with 42 wrestlers from Turkey, the Netherlands and other European countries. The winner was Cengiz Elbeye, Edirne Kırkpınar oil-wrestling champion. During the opening ceremony, Erkut Onart, the Turkish Consul General in the Netherlands, said that he believed

3726-410: The existence of oil-wrestling in Ancient Egypt is found in limestone from the tomb of Ptahhoteb near Saqqara from the Fifth dynasty (about 2650 BC) from the same period as the Chafadji-bronze. Another appealing proof is about 4000 years old and painted like a cartoon in a tomb near Beni Hasan in Egypt. The deceased, who occupied this tomb, is assumed to have been a famous oil-wrestler in his time. In

3807-410: The first picture, the greasing of the wrestler and the oil stored in a reed stem is seen. In the second picture the wrestling starts. The last picture down shows the three step triumph of oiled wrestling, which is unchanged to this day. From this, the basic rules of the sport can be traced. Centuries later, the Persian Empire conquered Egypt, and the Persian shah occupied the Pharaoh 's throne. It

3888-450: The friendship between Turkish society and the European countries is intensified when these kinds of cultural values are brought to Europe. In the world of oil-wrestling, Amsterdam became the most important annual event, after Edirne. Oil-wrestling was accepted as special branch by the Turkish Olympic Wrestling Federation. Sport and politics, as in 1996 the Turkish Federation of Traditional Sport Branches (Geleneksel Spor Dallari Federasyonu)

3969-477: The gorge) by the Iron Gate II Hydroelectric Power Station . On 13 April 2006, a record peak discharge at Iron Gate Dam reached 15,400 m /s (540,000 cu ft/s). There are three artificial waterways built on the Danube: the Danube-Tisa-Danube Canal (DTD) in the Banat and Bačka regions ( Vojvodina , northern province of Serbia); the 64 km (40 mi) Danube-Black Sea Canal , between Cernavodă and Constanța (Romania) finished in 1984, shortens

4050-416: The hero Achilles was buried (to this day, one of the mouths of the Danube is called Chilia). Old Romanian folk songs recount a white monastery on a white island with nine priests. Between the late 14th and late 19th centuries, the Ottoman Empire competed first with the Kingdom of Serbia , Second Bulgarian Empire , Kingdom of Hungary , Principality of Wallachia , Principality of Moldavia and later with

4131-423: The highest flow, an average of 8,500 L/s (300 cu ft/s), north of Lake Constance —thus feeding the Rhine. The European Water Divide applies only for those waters that pass beyond this point, and only during the days of the year when the Danube carries enough water to survive the sinkholes in the Donauversickerung. Since such large volumes of underground water erode much of the surrounding limestone, it

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4212-431: The latter was further borrowed into Romanian as a regionalism ( Turlă ). The Thraco- Phrygian name was Matoas , "the bringer of luck". The Middle Mongolian name for the Danube was transliterated as Tho-na in 1829 by Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat . The modern languages spoken in the Danube basin all use names derived from the Latin name Danubius : Danube is an Old European river name derived from

4293-431: The many cities on the river are four national capitals: Vienna , Bratislava , Budapest , and Belgrade . Its drainage basin amounts to 817,000 km (315,000 sq mi) and extends into nine more countries. The Danube's longest headstream Breg rises in Furtwangen im Schwarzwald , while the river carries its name from its source confluence in the palace park in Donaueschingen onwards. Since ancient times,

4374-416: The new republic had to come to a compromise, allowing the winning wrestler in the highest category to be awarded the title of "Başpehlivan of the Year", and rewards of whichever animals the organizers could obtain. Selim Sırrı Tarcan also restricted the Golden Belt: It could only be awarded for the Edirne Kırkpınar, and only to a "Turkish Champion" who had won the event for three consecutive years. The weight of

4455-409: The northern barbarian Thracian and Illyrian tribes by advancing from Macedonia as far as the Danube in 336 BCE. Under the Romans, the Danube formed the border of the Empire with the tribes to the north almost from its source to its mouth. At the same time, it was a route for the transport of troops and the supply of settlements downstream. From 37 CE to the reign of the Emperor Valentinian I (364–375)

4536-455: The one organized in Edirne today. Wrestling occurred in a variety of contexts, including social and ceremonial events. There were wrestling events on religious festival days, during special evenings of the Muslim fasting-month of Ramadan , on agricultural events, circumcisions and weddings. On special occasions, charity wrestling competitions were organized outside the palaces. Only the best wrestlers were accepted in training to become members of

4617-409: The origin of the peshrev is found, considered by some to be preparation and a ceremony to greet the audience, to others a participatory form of dance. It is different from the usual step-right, step-left, step-right, kick-left, step-left, kick-right dance encountered in the rest of the region. The word "Pehlivan" for a wrestler was first used in this period, when the Parthians (238 BC - 224 AD) expelled

4698-465: The river has been part of a trans-European waterway from Rotterdam on the North Sea to Sulina on the Black Sea, a distance of 3,500 km (2,200 mi). In 1994 the Danube was declared one of ten Pan-European transport corridors , routes in Central and Eastern Europe that required major investment over the following ten to fifteen years. The amount of goods transported on the Danube increased to about 100 million tons in 1987. In 1999, transport on

4779-481: The river was made difficult by the NATO bombing of three bridges in Serbia during the Kosovo War . Clearance of the resulting debris was completed in 2002, and a temporary pontoon bridge that hampered navigation was removed in 2005. At the Iron Gate , the Danube flows through a gorge that forms part of the boundary between Serbia and Romania; it contains the Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station dam, followed at about 60 km (37 mi) downstream (outside

4860-426: The river. The Danube Delta ( Romanian : Delta Dunării pronounced [ˈdelta ˈdunərij] ; Ukrainian : Дельта Дунаю , romanized :  Del'ta Dunayu ) is the largest river delta in the European Union . The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania (Tulcea county), while its northern part, on the left bank of the Chilia arm, is situated in Ukraine (Odesa Oblast). The approximate surface

4941-443: The river. Members include representatives from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Serbia; it meets regularly twice a year. It also convenes groups of experts to consider items provided for in the commission's working plans. The commission dates to the Paris Conferences of 1856 and 1921, which established for the first time an international regime to safeguard free navigation on

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5022-491: The same word means "river". The Finnish word for Danube is Tonava , which is most likely derived from the name of the river in German , Donau . Its Sámi name Deatnu means "Great River". It is possible that dānu in Scythian as in Avestan was a generic word for "river": Dnieper and Dniestr , from Danapris and Danastius , are presumed to continue Scythian * dānu apara "far river" and * dānu nazdya- "near river", respectively. In Latin,

5103-427: The sixth-to-third millennium BCE Vinča culture (Vinča, Serbia), are sited along the Danube. The third millennium BCE Vučedol culture (from the Vučedol site near Vukovar , Croatia ) is famous for its ceramics. Darius the Great , king of Persia , crossed the river in the late 6th century BCE to invade European Scythia and to subdue the Scythians . Alexander the Great defeated the Triballian king Syrmus and

5184-415: The suffix -ouwe "wetland". Romanian differs from other surrounding languages in designating the river with a feminine term, Dunărea ( IPA: [ˈdunəre̯a] ). This form was not inherited from Latin, although Romanian is a Romance language. To explain the loss of the Latin name, scholars who suppose that Romanian developed near the large river propose that the Romanian name descends from

5265-490: The total area of the Danube Delta reaches 5,165 km (1,994 sq mi). The Danube Delta is also the best-preserved river delta in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1991) and a Ramsar Site . Its lakes and marshes support 45 freshwater fish species. Its wetlands support vast flocks of migratory birds of over 300 species, including the endangered pygmy cormorant ( Phalacrocorax pygmaeus ). These are threatened by rival canalization and drainage schemes such as

5346-446: The winner of the Edirne competition was no longer " Başpehlivan of the Kırkpınar" but "Champion of Turkey". Instead of traditional prizes such as the "Altın Kemer" (Golden Belt) and horses, donkeys, or camels; medals similar to those in the Western world began to be awarded. It was feared that with such a change of reward "because they did so in Europe" effect a lack of participation by the pehlivans. The officer responsible for sports in

5427-400: The word pehlivan was also used for an officer, governor or huge and honest person. From the 16th century on, the term was exclusively used in the Ottoman Empire for the wrestler. In 1590, a peace treaty was signed between Murat III and the Persian Shah. The model of the wrestling pants go back to this period. The design is still same for the Iranian "pahlivan" and the Turkish "pehlivan", except

5508-426: The world. The champion wrestlers, who attended that 636th Edirne Kırkpınar applauded the news of an Amsterdam Kırkpınar. In his speech at the award ceremony, President Süleyman Demirel said that Turkey would continue to raise world-famous wrestlers. Veyis Güngör told the press that the enthusiastic reactions in Europe proved that this traditional Turkish sport is not only everlasting, but thanks to television and video,

5589-425: The world. For three days El-Fers filmed almost every match. On 4 September 1996, MokumTV started a weekly program on the A1 Amsterdam channel, presenting this highly aesthetic "mother of all sports". The late Hüseyin Sahin said during his speech, attended by Turkish president Süleyman Demirel , Edirne-mayor Hamdi Sedefçi, Veyis Güngör and Mohamed el-Fers that the Kırkpınar will exceed the borders of Turkey and unite

5670-431: The world. Ordered from the source to the mouth they are: The Danube is navigable by ocean ships from the Black Sea to Brăila in Romania (the maritime river sector), and further on by river ships to Kelheim , Bavaria , Germany; smaller craft can navigate further upstream to Ulm , Württemberg , Germany. About 60 of its tributaries are also navigable. Since the completion of the German Rhine–Main–Danube Canal in 1992,

5751-509: The wrestlers pour olive oil over their entire bodies. Kırkpınar holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running athletic competition. The history of oil wrestling links back to 2650 BC with evidence from Ancient Egypt , Assyria , and other regions in the Middle East. The Babylonian body of evidence, a tiny bronze, was excavated near the Chafadji-temple. The bronze clearly concerns oil wrestlers as both athletes are depicted with olive vessels on their heads. The oldest-known proof of

5832-399: Was "purified" by replacing words of Persian or Arabic origin with words derived from Turkic roots. Even a sport prevailing any western sport was at stake. Atatürk thought of putting the wrestling organizations directly under his own sponsorship. He ordered Selim Sırrı Tarcan (1874–1956) to restyle oil-wrestling according to his guidelines for sport in the new Turkish Republic. As a result,

5913-470: Was able to stop a match, disqualify wrestlers if necessary, and even cancel the wrestling events altogether. Today, the organizing committee makes such decisions. The Red Crescent and the Institute of Child Care would organize the Edirne Kırkpınar for 36 years, after which the task of organizing the event was assigned to the municipality of Edirne. In 1964, the mayor of Edirne, Tahsin Sipka, signed an act making

5994-520: Was brought into Asia Minor , spirituality and philosophy became part of the physical garment of the pehlivan. Oil-wrestling was established as a sport on its own. In Iran and the Ottoman Empire alike, wrestling became the national sport. In Iran, wrestling grew to the customary institution of the Zurkhane strong house, where people went to socialise and engage in athletic exercise. The wrestler

6075-600: Was during this period that oil wrestling began in Iran. The history of the oil-wrestling tournaments as they are known today dates to the Persian Mythical Era, which, according to Ferdowsi 's Shahnameh, started in 1065 BC. The legendary pehlivan of this era is called Rostam , a hero depicted to constantly save his country from evil forces. The ceremonial start of oil-wrestling, called by its Persian name " Peshrev " has clear links with old Iranian institutes as

6156-611: Was held in Thermopylae . The dispute was settled by a wrestling match and winner Attila accepted payment of all tribute in arrears and a new annual tribute of 2,100 pounds of gold and territory south of the Danube . Three years later Emperor Theodosius died falling from his horse. His successor, Marcian (450-457), refused to pay Attila. The Huns did not retaliate, because the sister of the Roman Emperor Valentinian III , Honoria , sent to him her ring and

6237-775: Was known to the ancient Greeks as the Istros ( Ἴστρος ) from a root possibly also encountered in the ancient name of the Dniester ( Danaster in Latin, Tiras in Greek) and akin to Iranic turos 'swift' and Sanskrit iṣiras ( इषिरस् ) 'swift', from the PIE * isro- , * sreu 'to flow'. In the Middle Ages, the Greek Tiras was borrowed into Italian as Tyrlo and into Turkic languages as Tyrla ;

6318-532: Was much larger than today's Danube, can still be seen in (now waterless) canyons in today's landscape of the Swabian Alb . After the Upper Rhine valley had been eroded, most waters from the Alps changed their direction and began feeding the Rhine. Today's upper Danube is thus an underfit stream . Since the Swabian Alb is largely shaped of porous limestone , and since the Rhine's level is much lower than

6399-642: Was officially accepted as the federation representing oil-wrestling and other traditional Turkish sports. In 1999, anti-doping checks were introduced by the Turkish Olympic Wrestling Federation during the Edirne Kırkpınar. Oil-wrestling is a growing sport, not limited to Turkey. However, it is difficult for foreign wrestlers to enter this National Turkish Championship. In 2000, Dutch oil-wrestler Melvin Witteveen's entry in Edirne

6480-792: Was rejected, while Kadir Yilmaz, beaten by Witteveen some weeks earlier at the Amsterdam Kırkpınar, was allowed to participate due to his double Turko-Dutch nationalities. As the winners of the categories of the Amsterdam Kırkpınar in the Netherlands are considered to be the European Champions, this means the Amsterdam Kırkpınar tops Edirne's, as the latter is seen as the National championship of Turkey only, repudiating non-Turkish entries. Sports in Turkey Too Many Requests If you report this error to

6561-586: Was relocated to Virantekke, now the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian border. After 12 years, the annual oil-wrestling competition of Kırkpınar moved to yet another location. Since 1924, bouts are held on the Sarayiçi island near Edirne. The last Ottoman sultan was exiled to Malta . In what remained of the Empire, almost everything traditional was replaced or westernized. The language

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