Turkish Flight Shooting, Target Shots and Competitions
1. Flight Shooting Competitions
a. Flight shooting (for record)
Places of shooting were detected according to the direction of
wind. The point where the shooting was made called was called
'foot stone' and the directions specified by erected stones
called 'main stone' were named as 'range'. In this 'flight
shootings', the longest distance that an arrow could reach was
taken as a new record under specified rules and conditions. A
marble column, 'range stone' that bears the name of the archer,
his profession, the date of the shot and the distance on the
shooting face was erected. Those writings were in poetry and
penned by a famous poet of the time, written by a calligrapher
and finally engraved by masons. Each of these columns was an art
object and those that could survive today are astonishing.
Despite being a site nowadays, the area of Istanbul Ok-meydani
is still an open-air museum (See
b. Long distance shooting contests
Long distance shooting contests, often confused with flight
shooting were completely different types of sports activity.
In this type of contest, archers made their shoots to any direction, by any wind
and used to try to beat each other. The main difference, the
distance wasn't measured in this type of shooting; the winner
was the furthest one.
Long distance shooting contests, frequently confused with
flight shooting were a completely different type of sportive
activity. In this activity, archers made their shots to any
direction, by any wind and tried to beat each other. The main
difference between long distance shooting and flight shooting
was that, the distance wasn't measured in long distance
shooting: the winner was the one who shot the furthest. Shots
were performed from a fixed point named 'foot place'.
(Capable to shoot
a distance of...)
arrow to shoot
||1100 gez (726 meters)
||1000 gez (660 meters)
||900 gez (594 meters)
||Beginners and elderly
Table: Long distance shooting contest
categories. (1 gez = .66 cm)
'Main stone' indicating the range direction should be made
properly and shouldn't deviate from both left and right
sides more than 30 gez (20 m). Those margins extended to 40
gez (26.5 m) after the 17th century. The shots were
considered as invalid otherwise.
2. Target Competitions
Target shooting began as a
training in the skills needed to hit a target, either an animal
or an enemy.
Scoring & Rules:
In target competitions, shooting was between either
individuals or teams. Number of arrows to shoot defined before
competition and it was generally even. And the number of hits
determined the score which was calculated by counting the arrows
on the target. It was like today's "hit
or miss" system.
After the completion of shots, arrows were pulled from the
target and dropped to the front of the Sheikh of Meidan (chairman
of the archery club). If the hits were equal, the results will
the competitors would tie.
All shots have to be performed in right knee and the right foot on the
- Betting was forbidden in anyway.
- If an arrow was broken after a shoot (or shot a bird
while its flight) the archer could repeat this shot.
Shooting ranges changes between 250 gez (~165 meters) and
400 gez (~265 meters).
The targets were generally pear-shaped leather bugs
or sawdust. Also flue-shaped baskets were used
in the competitions.
3. Performance Shootings
another shots generally are performed and seems like as a show or game
other than official target and flight contests. And the
"target" has lots of means in Turkish archery:
- Clay blocks which were softened with water before a
- Mirrors or metal plates (please see
Mirror Armour in Wiki) and very hard objects to
penetrate an arrow, like
marble, wood logs and ploughshare.
used as targets by archers on foot... And horseback archer
- Small pots placed top of tall pole (in
- Human sized dummies,
- or soil mounds,
as a target. These type of shots has "keep in
form" mean before the game or the show.
Hasib Efendy's penetrated wood log dated 1719 (military Museum,
Detail of Sultan Mahmud II's monument.
After the usage of
firearms in military and the loss of importance of
bows as an efficient weapon, long distance shooting
discipline became the most popular branch of Turkish
Bilal Aga's "main stone" reached 630 meters.
Above: Target shots to basket in Ok-Meidan
(Anonymous artist, 17th century / Republished by
F. Taeschner in 1924), Below: Target shot position
performed by Kemal Gurses (1937)
(courtesy: Acar S)
Above: Sultad Murad III. (1546-1595) in archery practice
(Surname-i Humayun, end of 16th century), Below: Yavuz
Sultan Selim (1470-1520) shot to "mirror" plate (Hunername,