Puta Target

Traditionally made of leather, the “puta” is etymologically related to the Persian word “bute,” which means “jug or pot made of clay.”
Putas reached their final form in the 18th century. They were 107 centimeters high and 77 centimeters wide, and the puta depth was approximately 8 to 10 centimeters. A pear-shaped, double-layered leather cushion was placed in a wooden or reed frame, which was also covered with leather.

The pillow would be filled with cottonseed or sawdust. Following these steps, shapes in different colors were drawn on the puta. Finally, small bells were attached to the bottom of the puta. The bells would make a sound when the puta was hit, thus alerting the shooters.

Detecting a hit can be difficult due to the great distances involved. Despite the lack of concrete historical evidence for the significance of shapes and colors on putas, one could speculate that this could be a way to create several different targets on the same puta. However, the purpose of the small bells is obvious; they were intended to inform archers or the audience of hits, as described above.

Since its introduction, several different rules have evolved. Puta shooting competitions were called "puta koşusu" (puta run). Puta shooting, although it varied for each okmeydanı (there were several in the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East), was typically conducted from a distance of 250–400 gez (165–265 meters), and the shooting was conducted from a location called the "sofa."

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Eric Lindemann is... a trained typesetter, then studied printing engineering in the USA, and then studied communications management. He has been involved in sports for over 45 years, a competitive swimmer, then handball for 15 years, and archery for over 20 years. One of the founding fathers of the TBVD (German Association of German Archers) and co-founder of the TAI (Trade Association of German Archers).