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The Bashpelivanns Legend


 

One summer evening in 1347, Suleyman Pacha, son of the Sultan Ohran,
decides to make camp in the region of Edirne, with forty or so of his warriors.

The evening's coolness refreshes the tired soldiers.
Some of them play music or set the campfires,
while others indulge in their favourite sport: oil wrestling.

Very soon, two brothers, Ali and Selim, attract the attention of the elders of the group;
while the other soldiers find relaxation through the wrestling,
Ali & Selim are obsessed by the urge to win.

As night falls, spurred on by this passion, they are the only ones who remain locked in combat.
The contest continues into the night with neither brother willing to concede defeat.

Alas, at first light the two brothers are found inert, dead through exhaustion.
Distraught with grief, Suleiman Pasha has them buried at the foot of a fig tree.

One year later Suleiman and his warriors return to the site and discover a miracle:
forty freshwater springs have sprung from the ground around the tomb.

They decide to come and fight every year on the same date.
The legend of Kirpinar is born.

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