Sinjska Alka Approaches 300th Year

Not many events in the world are about to reach their 300th edition, but one event held in the southern Croatian town of Sinj today is one step closer. The 299th Sinjska Alka Knights lancing tournament will get underway today, an event which has been held on the first Sunday in August in Sinj since 1715…

Sinjska alka, as the event is known, is an equestrian competition commemorating the victory over the advancing Ottoman Turkish administration in the 18th century. Now in its 299th year, the Alka Knights Games sees various horsemen attempt to aim their lances at a hanging metal ring, known as the Alka, at full gallop. Sinjska alka were inscribed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2010.