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. The 16th century was the time of Süleyman I, known throughout the world as "The Magnificent", even among other significant leaders such as Charles V (the Holy Roman Emperor who ruled Spain, Austria and parts of what are now Germany and Italy), Henry VIII (the Tudor king of England), and Francis I (Valois King of France). Süleyman, in his own land known as "Kanuni", the Legislator, reigned between 1520 and 1566, and was succeeded by his son Selim II, for whom Mimar Sinan built the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, considered to be Turkey's most beautiful mosque. Most importantly, it was the era of Murat III (1546–1595) where the Ottoman Empire reached its largest geographical area in its history. 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 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. Collecting strong men Before 1582, all wrestlers were obtained from prisoners of war, the Devşirme, or other slave sources. With 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 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 the elite Janissary Corps. Oil-wrestling for French Impératrice Eugenie When the Ottoman sultan visited France in 1867,