engleski

Elements of Ottoman legacy in the Alka of Sinj (Croatia)

In this paper the authors analysed the Alka of Sinj (Croatian: Sinjska alka), a chivalric tournament taking place annually since the 18th century until today in the town of Sinj, in Croatia, and focused on its elements of Ottoman legacy. The Alka is being held in memory of the victory in the battle of Sinj, fought against the Ottoman forces, in 1715. The terminology of the Alka tournament has a very high percentage of Turkisms ; for example, the name alka comes from the Turkish halka, meaning a ring or door- knocker. The mentioned terminology symbolically points out to the origin of the tournament, i.e., to the Ottoman Turkish origin of the clothing, equestrian equipment, decorations, names of the competitors (alaj-čauš, i.e., alay çavuş, etc.), weaponry and spoils of war. The latter are represented by the horse named edek, symbolising the horse of the Ottoman commander that lead the battle. The Ottoman elements in the Alka are a result of the historical co- existence on the borders of Catholicism and Islam. Because of its value, the Alka has been inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2010. The symbiosis of Dinaric and Ottoman elements, formed on a common military past, created the picturesqueness of the Alka, which in turn certainly contributed to its enlisting on the UNESCO's list and its branding.

Alka of Sinj, intangible cultural heritage, Ottoman legacy, the Balkans, cultural history

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