Revival for archery as young Turks give new lease of life to ancient art

ANKARA－Traditional Turkish archery dates back to the period of the early Turkic tribes in Central Asia. But today young athletes are fascinated by this ancient martial art.

In December, traditional Turkish archery was listed as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, giving a boost to this age-old sport.

"We now have around 120 students, the majority of whom are between 18 and 20, and they are very interested in this ancient art, because it allows them to travel back to feel the spirit of their ancestors," said Muhiddin Uyanik, an administrator at the Federation of Turkish Traditional Archery.

Uyanik, is one of those who have initiated Turkey's bid to have the art put on UNESCO's cultural heritage list.

He is also the founder of a museum located in Ankara's old citadel, a famous tourist attraction in the Turkish capital. The museum, known as Turkpusat (Turkish arms), is dedicated to ancient Turkish martial arts, especially archery, with the world's largest collection of arrowheads.

"There is definitely an interest among young people who want to learn the craft, which is very laborious. In the old days, during the Ottoman Empire, a disciple had to undergo three years of theoretical learning and muscle building before shooting his first arrow," Uyanik said.

Since its foundation in 2014, Uyanik's school has taught around 800 people, mostly youth, the basics of traditional Turkish archery.

Speaking about why he took up the sport, a 15-year-old who has a passion for everything related to ancient Turkish martial arts, said: "My friends ask me why I practice this. I tell them that it is something I can't explain. It's a link between my ancestors and me."

The boy said he was drawn to archery because of historical action films which introduced a series of nationalistic folk heroes from the early Ottoman period.

He said he is only at the early stage of learning and would like to continue for many years, and eventually become a teacher.

In their works, historians also portray vivid war scenes of the Ottoman era, where agile Turkish soldiers, some of them on horseback, were capable of shooting 40-50 arrows within a few minutes, surprising the enemy.

In the long past, the bow and arrow were part of all aspects of life, especially during war and hunting. So, it was crucial for Turks to learn how to shoot arrows from an early age.

In the museum, there are archery tools called "zikhir," which one can put on the thumb to pull the bow, and were used by children as young as 3.

Showcasing his skill in Turkish archery, Arif Osman Gurdal, a 33-year-old veterinary physician, who showed how difficult it is to stretch an Ottoman recurved bow for a perfect shot, said: "This is the heritage of our ancestors, archery is part of Turkish culture both in terms of national and spiritual values, and we are trying to keep it alive today."

Gurdal, an archery teacher in a school in the suburbs of Ankara, is also introducing the skill to the next generation.

Meanwhile, there is no doubt that the newly emerging interest in Ottoman history is also helping revive this ancient sport.

Separately, Turkey hosts an annual traditional archery competition every May to commemorate the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453.

Uyanik said that this year Turkey will host an even bigger event, the Word Nomad Games, which is expected to attract competitors from around 80 countries, including China.

Xinhua