Organized by Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, a member of Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB), with the contributions of Keles Municipality, Bursa Governorate, TDBB, TURKSOY, Union of Bursa Culture, Tourism and Promotion, Turkish Traditional Sports Branches Federation, World Ethno Sports Confederation, to introduce the values of Turkish culture to future generations and strengthen the unity of heart of Turkish people, “6th Turkish World Ancestor Sports Festival” was held on 22-23 July 2023 in Bursa Keles Kocayayla.
Horse acrobatics, traditional archery, javelin, rahvan, horse archery, aba-belt-shalwar wrestling and oil wrestling competitions organized as part of the festival were presented to the audience throughout the day.
Concerts, dance performances, traditional children’s games, brides to represent the mountain region, music concerts specific to the Turkish world, silk carpet and fabric weaving, wool spinning, live narrations of the Orkhon Inscriptions, mehter and sword shield shows, and treats were held as part of the culture and art activities of the Turkish World Ancestor Sports Festival.
Mayor of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Alinur Aktaş gave messages of unity and solidarity in his speech at the opening ceremony of the festival. Reminding that ancestral sports, which have been kept alive in peace and war for thousands of years, are an inseparable part of Turkish culture, Mayor Aktaş said, “We aim to leave a legacy to the future by keeping our ancestral sports, which are the rich heritage of a great culture, alive today. It is our duty to remind, promote and teach the thousands of years old culture of our ancestors in the rapidly changing and transforming world. In Bursa, the heart of the Turkish world, the beginning of the Ottoman Empire, and the apple of the Republic’s eye, you will witness thousands of years of Turkish culture accumulation today. We are people who protect their culture, civilization and history. This is what I want especially from parents. Let’s uphold our traditions. Let’s protect our wrestling, archery and other ancestral sports. Because as long as we protect them and keep them alive, we will continue to be ‘us’. In this way we will be together”.
