Ali Nurullah Hasan was a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

wrestler. He was known with his nickname as Filiz Nurullah

Pehlivan Pehlivan or Pahlevan derives from Iranian language word meaning ''noble'', ''wrestler'', ''hero'' or ''champion'' and it is a loan word in many Asiatic languages as well as middle eastern languages including Turkey, Turkish surname originally given ...

to the Turkish public whereas he used the alias Hassan Nurullah for his

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

career in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

. He stood 7'2" (218 cm) tall and weighed 387 lbs (175 kg).

Early life

Nurullah was born in 1867 or 1870 in Bıyıklı village near

Şumnu Shumen ( bg, Шумен, also romanized as ''Shoumen'' or ''Šumen'', ) is the tenth largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and economic capital of Shumen Province. Etymology The city was first mentioned as ''Šimeonis'' in 1153 by t ...

, Danube Vilayet in the territory of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. At eleven years of age, Nurullah was trained in

oil wrestling Oil wrestling ( tr, Yağlı güreş), also called grease wrestling, is a traditional Turkish sport, where participants, called ''pehlivan'' (wrestlers) or ''baspehlivan'' (master wrestlers), wrestle while covered in oil. Competitions are held in ...

Yusuf İsmail Yusuf İsmail (1857 – July 4, 1898), also known as Youssouf Ishmaelo, was a Turkish professional wrestler who competed in Europe and the United States as Yusuf Ismail the Terrible Turk during the 1890s. During his lifetime, native Turks knew h ...

.Yağlı Güreşin Ünlü Pehlivanları X - Filiz Nurullah
Erhan Hüseyin Ali, ''Öğretmenin Sesi''

Career

In 1894, Yusuf İsmail accompanied him and Kara Osman of

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...

on their journey to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, organised by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

former wrestler and promoter Joseph Doublier. Nurullah's impressive physique (standing 2.18 m (7'2") tall and weighing 175 kg (387 lbs), although exaggerated figures have also existed) was then noted as a tackle for finding eager opponents.Filiz Nurullah
/ref> Nevertheless, Nurullah trained in

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...

and started competing at

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

by 1895. Nurullah is renowned for his long rivalries with two formidable exponents of Greco-Roman wrestling: Paul Pons and Kara Ahmet. Nurullah quit wrestling in 1911 and died a year later in Istanbul.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nurullah Hasan 19th-century births 1912 deaths People from Shumen Province 19th-century professional wrestlers 20th-century professional wrestlers Sportspeople from the Ottoman Empire