09/07/2025
Two Ottoman wrestlers visiting New York for a wrestling competition in 1909.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wrestlers from the Ottoman Empire gained fame for their distinct style and imposing physique. These men were usually practitioners of oil wrestling (Yağlı güreş), a traditional Turkish sport with deep roots, but they adapted to Western wrestling styles when competing abroad.
A famous example from this period would be wrestlers like Yusuf İsmail, known as the “Terrible Turk,” who preceded 1909 but set the template. He toured the U.S. in the 1890s, becoming notorious for his size and strength. By 1909, other Ottoman wrestlers were continuing this legacy, often billed as exotic strongmen.
Newspapers and posters at the time portrayed them as mysterious, unstoppable, and sometimes “uncivilized,” feeding American audiences’ appetite for spectacle and “foreign marvels.” These matches often drew huge crowds in theaters or arenas like Madison Square Garden.
