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Traditional Turkish Sport "Archery"
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 Archery was for centuries Turkey’s traditional sport, and also
played a central role in Islamic culture. The use of the bow and arrow as a weapon by the
Turkish horsemen of Central Asia goes back far into the mists of time. Only after the
invention of firearms did the bow and arrow gradually lose its importance as a weapon,
instead being practised increasingly as a sport.Research suggests that archery among the
Turks goes back to 5000 BC, but the first written rules for archery date from the Oğuz
Turks around the 7th century. After the conversion of the Oğuz to Islam archery developed
still further, reaching its zenith under the Ottoman Empire. The importance of archery in
early warfare is reflected in the Traditions of the Prophet Muhammed, who was himself an
archer. Among the references to archery in the Traditions are, ‘Teach even the slave in
your house to shoot arrows,’ and, ‘Just as they are our rights, so it is the right of
our children that we teach them to write and to shoot arrows, and leave them their
rightful inheritance.’Although archery competitions were held under earlier Ottoman
rulers, it was Sultan Mehmet II (1451-1481) who set up detailed rules for archery as a
competitive sport and established special archery fields. Immediately after the conquest
of Istanbul the Ok Meydanı (Archery Field), of which only a small part remains today, was
set up in the district of Kasımpaşa on the north shore of the Golden Horn. Mehmet’s
successors enlarged this field and added new facilities, as well as establishing similar
archery fields in other cities. Mehmet’s son Sultan Bayezit II (1481-1512) granted
special privileges to archers and to the artisans who produced archery equipment. He
arranged for most of these craftsmen to settle in Istanbul and gave them workshops in the
Archers Bazaar built behind Bayezit Mosque. In the 15th and 16th centuries there were an
estimated 500 makers of bows and arrows in Istanbul, and schools specifically for training
archers.Most of the Ottoman sultans and grand vezirs were noted archers, and grand vezir
Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Paşa (1592-1644) was a bow maker by trade, as the cognomen
Kemankeş indicates. When he became grand vezir he issued an imperial edict (ferman) on the
subject of archery, which is the first known law concerning a sport. This document has
been preserved, and is in the archive of Topkapı Palace Museum. Historical documents
record the names of many famous archers, such as Tozkoparan İsmail and Bursalı
Şüca.Traditional Turkish bows were crossbows of the type known as composite, made of
layers of horn, sinew and wood, which enabled them to shoot arrows extraordinary
distances. Even today authorities on archery around the world are astonished by the
distances shot using the old Turkish bows, whose records of 800 to 900 metres are still
beyond the reach of modern crossbows.On the foundation laid by Mehmet II and Bayezıt II,
archery developed apace during the 16th century under Süleyman the Magnificent
(1520-1566) and his son Selim II (1566-1574). Although archery continued to be practised
as a sport through the 17th and 18th centuries, it enjoyed a brilliant revival during the
reigns of Selim III (1789-1807) and his nephew Mahmut II (1808 - 1839). With the death of
Mahmut II, however, archery went into decline, and during the last years of the Ottoman
Empire most of the bowyers and other craftsmen were forced to abandon their traditional
trades for lack of custem. Only four or five craftsmen continued to make bows and arrows.
After the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, a handful of archers tried to
keep the sport alive, encouraging young people to join them and holding practice sessions
in various districts os Istanbul. İbrahim and Bekir Özok - descendants of the legendary Turkish
archer Tozkoparan, Vakkas Okatan - grandson of Mustafa Kani, writer of the first book on
Turkish archery during the reing of Mahmut II, Prof Necmettin Okyay - who again came a
family of archers, Hafiz Kemal Gürses, and Baki Kunter - chairman of the National Sports
Federation, founded an archery club in 1937 with the object of reviving thes national
sport. Atatürk had beeen an enthusiastic supporter of the project, and after
watching a display by the country's first woman archer Betül Diker (Or) at the 19 May
celebrations that yearhad asked Halim Baki Kunter to train her himself. But after
Atatürk's death in 1938 the club found itself without resources and closed down. Archery
in Turkey nearly died out completely over the next 15 years, until Fazıl Özak son of
former archer Bahir Özok, approached President Celal Bayar in 1953 about offical
recognition for the sport by the Derectorate of Physical Training, and the sport was
attached to the Federation of Marksmanship. In 1955 Turkey became the 16th member of the
International Archery Federation, which today has 121 members altogether. After archery
was organised as a sparate federation in 1961 Turkish archers began to participate
for the first time in international competitions, although unfortunately with little
success due to financial and organisational difficulties. But today the sport is
thriving, and from just 35 licensed archers on 1 January 1982 the number has grown to
neraly three thousand. What is more the quality of thair performance has risen rapidly.
* By Uğur Erdener |
Source: Sky Life |
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