and invite all their relatives, cook the famous Bulamaq and after cooking they mix it with sugar to sweeten it. In this city, the people who arrive at the age of 63 hold a feast for having attained the age of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and kill a white sheep to serve the guests. Food The Turkmans have varied dishes and in there is also a special place where a specific dish is cooked. Chekdirmeh and Soozmeh are the daily food of the Turkmans which are normally made of rice and oil. Among other dishes one can refer to are Chourba (Shourba), which is made of vegetable and boiled meat; Oonash, a soup made of dough strings or vermicelli; Qateqliash, which is a kind of soup made of yoghurt, rice and garlic; Swidliash, composed of milk and rice; Bulamaq, composed of oil and rice, and Qatoorqa, made of smoked and ground wheat, rice and sugar. Dress Traditional dress includes a skin cap and a loose red garment called Doon for men, Kooyink a loose skirt for women, Yaliq (worn by women at home instead of chador), and Boorik, a hat worn by girls before marriage, are the only traditional items which have survived in this northern port. Normally after marriage the girl replaces Boorik with Alangi which is another hat. Sports and recreation Horse racing is the most important recreation in Bandar Torkaman which takes place in the spring and autumn. The competition is held in the main racing field which is about 100 hectares in size. The horse racing competition in Bandar Torkaman has many admirers in the country, especially in Tehran and Gonbade Kavoos. Even fans from the Persian Gulf States visit Bandar Torkaman to watch the races. One of the favorite sports among the Turkmans is the traditional Goorehesh wrestling in which two rivals wrestle with each other without age or weight limitation. They take hold of each other's belt and the one who succeeds to lay the rival's back on the ground is pronounced winner and receives a present called Bayraq, which is either a ram or ewe. Ram is a symbol of uprightness and bravery among Turkmans and is much respected by them. To praise the strength and valor of a youth, he is said to resemble a ram. Dagger (sword) play is another popular sport among Turkman youth. This is a religious/mystical ceremony in