Kırkpınar is a Turkish oil wrestling () tournament where Pehlivans (wrestlers) compete for three days. It is held annually, usually in late June, near Edirne, Turkey since 1360. In the finals held on the last day, the first, second and third winners of each category are determined. During the tournament, also the Kırkpınar Festival is organized. 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. Description The contestants wear only leather knee-length shorts called kıspets. Before each bout, the wrestlers pour olive oil over their entire bodies. Kırkpınar holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running athletic competition. History Oldest known evidence 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 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 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 was during this period that oil wrestling began in Iran. Oil-wrestling 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