Cirit

Two mounted teams gallop across a field; a rider charges, hurls a blunt wooden javelin at an opponent, then wheels away before being hit in return.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Turkey. Animals are partners in this tradition; good care and local rules always come first.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Mesopotamia, Levant and Arabia.