When Turks examine history in depth, they see that we belong to a millennia-old “Mounted Steppe Culture,” among the first peoples to domesticate the horse. Throughout the centuries, the horse played an essential and indispensable role in our great victories, the civilizations they built, and daily life. In their culture, heroes are always remembered with their horses: “Battal Gazi’s Akşar, Manas’ Ak Kula, Köroğlu’s Kırat.” Their ancestors, who mastered the horse in war and benefited from it in peace, naturally did not adopt a pedestrian culture.
Despite this, in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the Ottoman Empire employed foot messengers called “Peyks,” who were faster and lived longer than their European counterparts. From the age of 5–6, “peyk candidates” underwent special training, including running exercises in various environments and carefully planned nutrition. At the age of 17–18, they were subjected to a rigorous examination at Istanbul’s “At Meydanı,” and those who achieved the best results began serving as foot messengers with the highest salary, often assigned to palace duties.
Peyks continued this sacred duty comfortably until the age of 40–45, after which they retired from the “Peyk Corps” and enjoyed a high-quality retirement. The fact that many European foot messengers died at the age of 20–21 while on duty led European scholars to visit the Ottoman Empire to study the secret behind the peyks’ longevity.
Among the European scholars who came to study the peyks were Nicolas de Nicolai, Halkondil, Gabriel d’Aramon (the French ambassador), and d’Ohsson. They examined the peyks and produced illustrations of them.
Peyks wore silver belts with hooked ornaments, green shirts, and carried pouches of almonds and hard candy on their belts. They met their glucose needs with these sweets and often offered them to children along their route. They wore a conical cap, carried a hatchet in one hand for protection against wild animals, and held a rosewater flask in the other, drinking from it when thirsty and offering it to locals. Today, marathon runners lose 4–5 kilograms after a race; the fact that peyks compensated for part of their energy and water loss with rosewater and sugar is highly significant in the history of sports.
One of the most distinctive features of the peyks was running with perforated iron balls in their mouths. These balls were believed to regulate nasal breathing and reduce the phenomenon known as “side stitch” or “spleen pain.” They also helped maintain saliva flow.
The cause of “side stitch,” observed both in runners of that era and today, remains unknown. According to some accounts, peyks underwent a special operation in childhood to remove their spleens — an intriguing claim.
The bells tied below their knees produced sounds that alerted small animals along the path, preventing harm. Over time, these bells produced rhythmic sounds similar to kudüm or tambourines, helping peyks achieve full concentration. Once they reached a certain rhythm, they could run long distances by drawing on their spiritual strength — a subject that greatly interested researchers.
Peyks could travel the 156 km distance between the palaces of Istanbul and Edirne and return within one day and one night. According to a record from the Sharia Court Registers, while Sultan Mehmed IV — famous for his hunting — was in Edirne on 10 April 1668, a peyk set out after the morning prayer, ran 40 km to Dimetoka in 3.5 hours, obtained a document from the local judge confirming his arrival, and returned to Edirne by the afternoon prayer. Upon learning this, the sultan rewarded the peyk with a purse of gold and a sable fur.
(Side stitch is a pain occurring near the ribs and sides. Its exact cause is still unknown. It may be related to oxygen deficiency in respiratory muscles and reduced blood flow in the diaphragm’s intercostal muscles. There is still no definitive cure.)
