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Camels and wrestling. I never thought I’d say those two words in the same sentence. Now you won’t see this in 1）Marrakesh， probably， not yet anyway， but camel wrestling is a thing in Turkey， where the animals are trained to square off in 2）bouts of strength and skill.
Camels are tall， 3）lumbering creatures. You don’t want to get in their way. They can move surprisingly quickly， especially when two are locking necks， almost like a double 4）helix， trying to overpower each other.
Turkey’s largest camel-wrestling tournament is held annually here in Sel？uk， a market town of about 20，000 people.
Camels are naturally pretty 5）docile creatures， but get more aggressive during mating season， so that’s when the competitions are held. Female camels aren’t welcome at the events. If they were here， things might get really serious. With about 130 male camels and tens of thousands of drunken spectators， these camels are 6）riled up enough. Ahmet Sarsilmaz has been training camels for 15 years. He says they’re intelligent， sensitive creatures， but he said， when things get tense， camels get aggressive， and then they’re ready to wrestle.
Camels have long been critical to the economic development of this area. They carry crops like olives and figs to nearby seaports. When the railroads came， about 150 years ago， camels had less practical use， so people who were fond of raising them had to find other reasons to keep them. Gokhan Sertcelik is a local attorney who grew up here and has been coming to camel bouts since he was about six. He says many people here revere camels almost like sports heroes.
Sertcelik： I have seen lots of people， when their favorite camel was beaten， they were crying. You know， it’s not about gambling. It’s about love.
The rules are simple. There’s no point system. If a camel is forced to his knees， he loses. If a camel runs away， the braver camel wins. Or， if a camel cries out in fright， that also ends the match.
For wealthy locals， owning a camel can be the ultimate status symbol. It costs around $10，000 a year to keep one， and there’s no cash prize for winning an event. Sogutcu says owning a wrestling camel is all about prestige and bragging rights.
Sogutcu： Like， my camel is stronger than your camel. My camel look [sic] more beautiful than your camel. It is like a social competition.
It’s also an excuse to throw a big party. There are probably 20，000 people at this event. 7）Booze venders are doing a roaring trade selling liquor by the bottle. Groups of men sit together on long tables grilling meats and toasting each other with“Raca，” Turkey’s most cherished hard alcohol. Most of the men are Muslim， by the way， and the 8）Koran forbids alcohol， but drink is still an integral part of Turkish culture. Ahmet Sogutcu said men from this region enjoy traveling the camel wrestling circuit. It gives them a chance to get out of their hometowns and cut loose. There’s also a lot of meat being grilled here； camel meat. Tourists like Robert Lloyd， a Londoner who teaches English in Istanbul， was keen to try it.
Lloyd： I would say I was so excited about it. I ate some， and it’s delicious. It’s really good. It tastes like camels smell， which is kind of 9）off-putting， but they spice it really well， so it’s good. I’m a fan.
He bought a few extra pounds to take home with him as well.
Besides the wrestling and the drinking and the eating， there’s also a bit of 10）pageantry and music. Bands of mostly 11）Roma musicians entertain the crowds. People stuff cash in their clarinets as tips. The day before the wrestling match there was also a beauty contest for camels dressed in their best finery.
骆驼和摔跤，我从未想过会把这两个词放在同一句话里。你在摩洛哥的马拉喀什大概见不到这场景，反正现在还没有，但在土耳其，骆驼摔跤却是一大盛事。那里的人们训练骆驼进行角斗，让它们进行力量和技能的较量。
骆驼是高大笨重的动物，你可不会想挡它们的道。它们移动的速度可以快得惊人，尤其是在两头骆驼的脖颈几乎像双螺旋般交错在一起，使尽全力想要扳倒对方的时候。
赛尔丘克是一个约有两万人口的集镇，土耳其最大的骆驼摔跤赛每年都要在这里举行。
骆驼生性颇为温顺，但在交配季节会变得很好斗，所以，摔跤比赛就在这个时候举行。母骆驼在赛场周围是不受欢迎的，因为如果它们在场的话，事情可能会变得很严重。一百三十来头公骆驼加上几万名醉醺醺的观众，赛场上的骆驼焦躁不安了。阿米特·萨斯尔马兹训练骆驼已有十五年的历史，他说骆驼是一种聪明而敏感的动物，但他也说，一旦形势变得紧张起来，它们会变得比平常好斗，这时就可以开始摔跤了。
长期以来，骆驼对该地区的经济发展起着关键作用。它们把橄榄和无花果等作物驮到邻近的海港。大约一百五十年前，这里有了铁路，骆驼的实际用途减少了，所以喜欢养骆驼的人们只好找些别的理由来继续饲养它们。葛汗·塞特赛里克是当地一名土生土长的律师，从六岁左右一直到现在，他每年都会来观看骆驼摔跤赛。他说很多当地人几乎像尊崇运动健将一样尊崇骆驼。
塞特赛里克：我见过很多人在他们最喜欢的骆驼被打败时痛哭流涕。你知道的，这跟赌输了钱无关，这关乎感情。
骆驼摔跤赛的规则十分简单，不设分数制。如果一头骆驼被扳跪倒在地，它就输了。如果一方落荒而逃，那勇敢的另一方便胜出。又或者，如果一方惊惧大叫，比赛也能分出个胜负。
对于当地的富人来说，拥有一头骆驼是最重要的身份象征。养一头骆驼每年的花费高达一万美元，而赢得比赛是没有现金奖励的。索古楚说拥有一头参赛骆驼关乎的是骆驼主的声望和炫耀的资本。
索古楚：比如说，我的骆驼比你的强壮，我的骆驼比你的漂亮。这就像是一种社会地位的攀比。
骆驼摔跤赛也是人们狂欢的好理由。现场观赛人数大概有两万左右。卖瓶装酒的酒贩们生意做得热火朝天。成群的男人围坐在长桌旁烤肉，相互举杯，畅饮土耳其最受欢迎的烈酒“拉卡”。顺便提一下，这些人大多是穆斯林，虽然《古兰经》明令禁酒，但喝酒仍是土耳其文化不可或缺的一部分。阿米特·索古楚说该地区的人们很喜欢到骆驼摔跤赛的场地游玩，这让他们有机会走出自己的乡镇，放松一番。
这里也有很多现烤的肉——骆驼肉。罗伯特·劳埃德来自伦敦，在伊斯坦布尔教英语，像他这样的游客会迫不及待地想一尝骆驼肉的味道。
劳埃德：让我说啊，骆驼肉让我异常兴奋。我吃了一点，非常美味，真的很不错。它尝起来有骆驼臊味儿，有点不太好闻，但他们调味用得很棒，所以很好吃，我超喜欢。
他还另外买了几磅带回家。
除了摔跤和吃喝，这里还有盛典和音乐。现场表演的大部分乐队都是吉卜赛乐队，他们为观众演奏音乐助兴。人们把钱塞进他们的单簧管作为小费。在摔跤赛的前一天还会举行一场选美比赛，而参赛的是身着盛装的骆驼们。
Camels are tall， 3）lumbering creatures. You don’t want to get in their way. They can move surprisingly quickly， especially when two are locking necks， almost like a double 4）helix， trying to overpower each other.
Turkey’s largest camel-wrestling tournament is held annually here in Sel？uk， a market town of about 20，000 people.
Camels are naturally pretty 5）docile creatures， but get more aggressive during mating season， so that’s when the competitions are held. Female camels aren’t welcome at the events. If they were here， things might get really serious. With about 130 male camels and tens of thousands of drunken spectators， these camels are 6）riled up enough. Ahmet Sarsilmaz has been training camels for 15 years. He says they’re intelligent， sensitive creatures， but he said， when things get tense， camels get aggressive， and then they’re ready to wrestle.
Camels have long been critical to the economic development of this area. They carry crops like olives and figs to nearby seaports. When the railroads came， about 150 years ago， camels had less practical use， so people who were fond of raising them had to find other reasons to keep them. Gokhan Sertcelik is a local attorney who grew up here and has been coming to camel bouts since he was about six. He says many people here revere camels almost like sports heroes.
Sertcelik： I have seen lots of people， when their favorite camel was beaten， they were crying. You know， it’s not about gambling. It’s about love.
The rules are simple. There’s no point system. If a camel is forced to his knees， he loses. If a camel runs away， the braver camel wins. Or， if a camel cries out in fright， that also ends the match.
For wealthy locals， owning a camel can be the ultimate status symbol. It costs around $10，000 a year to keep one， and there’s no cash prize for winning an event. Sogutcu says owning a wrestling camel is all about prestige and bragging rights.
Sogutcu： Like， my camel is stronger than your camel. My camel look [sic] more beautiful than your camel. It is like a social competition.
It’s also an excuse to throw a big party. There are probably 20，000 people at this event. 7）Booze venders are doing a roaring trade selling liquor by the bottle. Groups of men sit together on long tables grilling meats and toasting each other with“Raca，” Turkey’s most cherished hard alcohol. Most of the men are Muslim， by the way， and the 8）Koran forbids alcohol， but drink is still an integral part of Turkish culture. Ahmet Sogutcu said men from this region enjoy traveling the camel wrestling circuit. It gives them a chance to get out of their hometowns and cut loose. There’s also a lot of meat being grilled here； camel meat. Tourists like Robert Lloyd， a Londoner who teaches English in Istanbul， was keen to try it.
Lloyd： I would say I was so excited about it. I ate some， and it’s delicious. It’s really good. It tastes like camels smell， which is kind of 9）off-putting， but they spice it really well， so it’s good. I’m a fan.
He bought a few extra pounds to take home with him as well.
Besides the wrestling and the drinking and the eating， there’s also a bit of 10）pageantry and music. Bands of mostly 11）Roma musicians entertain the crowds. People stuff cash in their clarinets as tips. The day before the wrestling match there was also a beauty contest for camels dressed in their best finery.
骆驼和摔跤，我从未想过会把这两个词放在同一句话里。你在摩洛哥的马拉喀什大概见不到这场景，反正现在还没有，但在土耳其，骆驼摔跤却是一大盛事。那里的人们训练骆驼进行角斗，让它们进行力量和技能的较量。
骆驼是高大笨重的动物，你可不会想挡它们的道。它们移动的速度可以快得惊人，尤其是在两头骆驼的脖颈几乎像双螺旋般交错在一起，使尽全力想要扳倒对方的时候。
赛尔丘克是一个约有两万人口的集镇，土耳其最大的骆驼摔跤赛每年都要在这里举行。
骆驼生性颇为温顺，但在交配季节会变得很好斗，所以，摔跤比赛就在这个时候举行。母骆驼在赛场周围是不受欢迎的，因为如果它们在场的话，事情可能会变得很严重。一百三十来头公骆驼加上几万名醉醺醺的观众，赛场上的骆驼焦躁不安了。阿米特·萨斯尔马兹训练骆驼已有十五年的历史，他说骆驼是一种聪明而敏感的动物，但他也说，一旦形势变得紧张起来，它们会变得比平常好斗，这时就可以开始摔跤了。
长期以来，骆驼对该地区的经济发展起着关键作用。它们把橄榄和无花果等作物驮到邻近的海港。大约一百五十年前，这里有了铁路，骆驼的实际用途减少了，所以喜欢养骆驼的人们只好找些别的理由来继续饲养它们。葛汗·塞特赛里克是当地一名土生土长的律师，从六岁左右一直到现在，他每年都会来观看骆驼摔跤赛。他说很多当地人几乎像尊崇运动健将一样尊崇骆驼。
塞特赛里克：我见过很多人在他们最喜欢的骆驼被打败时痛哭流涕。你知道的，这跟赌输了钱无关，这关乎感情。
骆驼摔跤赛的规则十分简单，不设分数制。如果一头骆驼被扳跪倒在地，它就输了。如果一方落荒而逃，那勇敢的另一方便胜出。又或者，如果一方惊惧大叫，比赛也能分出个胜负。
对于当地的富人来说，拥有一头骆驼是最重要的身份象征。养一头骆驼每年的花费高达一万美元，而赢得比赛是没有现金奖励的。索古楚说拥有一头参赛骆驼关乎的是骆驼主的声望和炫耀的资本。
索古楚：比如说，我的骆驼比你的强壮，我的骆驼比你的漂亮。这就像是一种社会地位的攀比。
骆驼摔跤赛也是人们狂欢的好理由。现场观赛人数大概有两万左右。卖瓶装酒的酒贩们生意做得热火朝天。成群的男人围坐在长桌旁烤肉，相互举杯，畅饮土耳其最受欢迎的烈酒“拉卡”。顺便提一下，这些人大多是穆斯林，虽然《古兰经》明令禁酒，但喝酒仍是土耳其文化不可或缺的一部分。阿米特·索古楚说该地区的人们很喜欢到骆驼摔跤赛的场地游玩，这让他们有机会走出自己的乡镇，放松一番。
这里也有很多现烤的肉——骆驼肉。罗伯特·劳埃德来自伦敦，在伊斯坦布尔教英语，像他这样的游客会迫不及待地想一尝骆驼肉的味道。
劳埃德：让我说啊，骆驼肉让我异常兴奋。我吃了一点，非常美味，真的很不错。它尝起来有骆驼臊味儿，有点不太好闻，但他们调味用得很棒，所以很好吃，我超喜欢。
他还另外买了几磅带回家。
除了摔跤和吃喝，这里还有盛典和音乐。现场表演的大部分乐队都是吉卜赛乐队，他们为观众演奏音乐助兴。人们把钱塞进他们的单簧管作为小费。在摔跤赛的前一天还会举行一场选美比赛，而参赛的是身着盛装的骆驼们。