Buzkashi began among the nomadic Asian tribes who came from farther north and east spreading westward from
China
and
Mongolia
between the 10th and 15th centuries in a centuries-long series of migrations that ended only in the 1930s. From
Scythian
times until recent decades, buzkashi has remained a legacy of that bygone era.
[6]
[7]
Games similar to buzkashi are played today by several Central Asian ethnic groups such as the
Kyrgyz
,
Turkmens
,
Kazakhs
,
Uzbeks
,
Uyghurs
,
Hazaras
,
Tajiks
,
Wakhis
and
Pashtuns
. In the West, the game is also played by Kyrgyz who migrated to
Ulupamir
village in the
Van
district of
Turkey
from the
Pamir
region. In
western China
, there is not only horse-back buzkashi, but also
yak
buzkashi among the
Tajiks of Xinjiang
.
[8]
Buzkashi is the national sport and a "passion" in Afghanistan where it is often played on Fridays and matches draw thousands of fans. Whitney Azoy notes in his book
Buzkashi: Game and Power in Afghanistan
that "leaders are men who can seize control by means foul and fair and then fight off their rivals. The buzkashi rider does the same".
[9]
Traditionally, games could last for several days, but in its more regulated tournament version, it has a limited match time.
[
citation needed
]
During the first reign of the
Taliban
government in
Afghanistan
, buzkashi was banned as they considered the game immoral. After the Afghan Taliban was
ousted in 2001
, the sport resumed. When the Taliban regained power in 2021, they allowed the sport to continue.
[10]
[11]
[12]
Kazakhstan
's first National Kokpar Association was registered in 2000. The association has been holding annual kokpar championships among adults since 2001 and youth kokpar championships since 2005. All 14 regions of Kazakhstan have professional kokpar teams. The regions with the biggest number of professional kokpar teams are
Southern Kazakhstan
with 32 professional teams,
Jambyl region
with 27 teams and
Akmola region
with 18 teams. Kazakhstan's national kokpar team currently holds a title of
Eurasian
kokpar champions.
[13]
A photograph documents
kokboru
players in
Kyrgyzstan
around 1870;
[14]
however, Kyrgyzstan's kokboru rules were first officially defined and regulated in 1949. Starting from 1958 kokboru began being held in hippodromes. The size of a kokboru field depends on the number of participants.
[
citation needed
]
The buzkashi season in
Tajikistan
generally runs from November through April. High temperatures often prevent matches from taking place outside of this period, though isolated games might be found in some cooler mountain areas.
In Tajikistan and among the Tajik people of Tashkorgan in China's
Xinjiang
region, buzkashi games are particularly popular in relation to weddings as the games are sponsored by the father of the bride as part of the festivities.
[15]
In
Pakistan
, buzkashi has traditionally been very popular in the areas bordering Afghanistan. Although the sport is dying, it is still played by the
Wakhi people
of
Hunza
[16]
in
Gilgit Baltistan
and by the
Pashtuns
including
Afghan refugees
in parts of Balochistan.
[17]
Buzkashi was brought to the
U.S
. by a descendant from the
Afghan Royal Family
, the family of
King Amanullah
and
King Zahir Shah
. A mounted version of the game has also been played in the United States in the 1940s. Young men in
Cleveland, Ohio
, played a game they called
kav kaz
. The men ? five to a team ? played on horseback with a sheepskin-covered ball. The Greater Cleveland area had six or seven teams. The game was divided into three "chukkers", somewhat like
polo
. The field was about the size of a football field and had goals at each end: large wooden frameworks standing on tripods, with holes about two feet square. The players carried the ball in their hands, holding it by the long-fleeced sheepskin. A team had to pass the ball three times before throwing it into the goal. If the ball fell to the ground, the player had to reach down from his horse to pick it up. One player recalls, "Others would try to unseat the rider as he leaned over. They would grab you by the shoulder to shove you off. There weren't many rules."
[18]
Mounted team-based
potato races
, a popular pastime in early 20th-century America, bore some resemblance to buzkashi, although on a much smaller and tamer scale.
[19]
Rules and variations
edit
Competition is typically fierce. Prior to the establishment of official rules by the
Afghan Olympic Federation
, the sport was mainly conducted based upon rules such as not whipping a fellow rider intentionally or deliberately knocking him off his horse. Riders usually wear heavy clothing and head protection to protect themselves against other players'
whips
and
boots
. For example, riders in the former
Soviet Union
often wear salvaged Soviet tank helmets for protection. The boots usually have high heels that lock into the saddle of the horse to help the rider lean on the side of the horse while trying to pick up the goat. Games can last for several days, and the winning team receives a prize, not necessarily money, as a reward for their win. Top players, such as
Aziz Ahmad
, are often sponsored by wealthy
Afghans
.
[20]
A buzkashi player is called a Chapandaz; it is mainly believed in Afghanistan that a skilful Chapandaz is usually in his forties. This is based on the fact that the nature of the game requires its player to undergo severe physical practice and observation. Similarly, horses used in buzkashi also undergo severe training and due attention. A player does not necessarily own the horse. Horses are usually owned by landlords and highly rich people wealthy enough to look after and provide training facilities for such horses. However, a master Chapandaz can choose to select any horse and the owner of the horse usually wants his horse to be ridden by a master Chapandaz as a winning horse also brings pride to the owner.
The game consists of two main forms: Tudabarai and Qarajai. Tudabarai is considered to be the simpler form of the game. In this version, the goal is simply to grab the goat and move in any direction until clear of the other players. In Qarajai, players must carry the carcass around a flag or marker at one end of the field, then throw it into a scoring circle (the "Circle of Justice") at the other end. The riders will carry a whip to fend off opposing horses and riders. When the rider's hands are occupied, the whip is typically carried in the teeth.
The calf in a buzkashi game is normally beheaded and disembowelled and has two limbs cut off. It is then soaked in cold water for 24 hours before play to toughen it. Occasionally sand is packed into the carcass to give it extra weight. Though a goat is used when no calf is available, a calf is less likely to disintegrate during the game. While players may not strap the calf to their bodies or
saddles
, it is acceptable?and common practice?to wedge the calf under one leg in order to free up the hands.
These rules are strictly observed only for contests in
Kabul
.
[21]
- The ground has a square layout with each sidelong.
- Each team consists of 10 riders.
- Only five riders from each team can play in a half.
- The total duration of each half is 45 minutes.
- There is only one 15 minute break between the two halves.
- The game is supervised by a referee.
Rules of kokboru have undergone several changes throughout history. Modernized rules of kokboru are:
- There are two teams with 12 participants each.
- Only 4 players a team are allowed to play on the field at any given time.
- Teams are allowed to substitute players or their horses.
- The game is played on a field 200 meters long and 70 meters wide.
- Two
kazans
? big goals with a 4.4 meters in diameter and 1.2 meters high are placed on opposite sides of a field.
- The total duration of three periods is 60 minutes.
- There is a 10-minute break between each period.
- A goal is scored each time a ulak (goat carcass) is placed in an opponent's kazan.
- A kokboru is brought to centre of the field after scoring a goal.
It is also prohibited to ride towards the spectators or receive spectators' assistance or to start a kokboru game without giving an oath to play justly.
In Tajikistan, buzkashi is played in a variety of ways. The most common iteration is a free-form game, often played in a mountain valley or other natural arena, in which each player competes individually to seize the buz and carry it to a goal. Forming unofficial teams or alliances does occur, but is discouraged in favor of individual play. Often, dozens of riders will compete against one another simultaneously, making the scrum to retrieve a fallen buz a chaotic affair. Tajik buzkashi games typically consist of many short matches, with a prize being awarded to each player who successfully scores a point.
In books and film adaptations
edit
Buzkashi is portrayed in several books, both fiction and non-fiction. It is shown in
Steve Berry
's book
The Venetian Betrayal
. Buzkashi was the subject of a book called
Horsemen of Afghanistan
by French photojournalists Roland and Sabrina Michaud.
Gino Strada
wrote a book named after the sport (with the spelling Buskashi) in which he tells about his life as surgeon in Kabul in the days after the
9-11 strikes
. P.J. O'Rourke also mentions the game in discussions about Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Foreign Policy section of
Parliament of Whores
, and
Rory Stewart
devotes a few sentences to it in
The Places in Between
.
[
citation needed
]
Two books have been written about buzkashi which were later turned into films. The game is the subject of a novel by French novelist
Joseph Kessel
titled
Les Cavaliers
(aka
Horsemen
), which then became the basis of the film
The Horsemen
(1971). The film was directed by
John Frankenheimer
with
Omar Sharif
in the lead role, and U.S. actor and accomplished horseman
Jack Palance
as his father, a legendary retired chapandaz. This film shows
Afghanistan
and its people the way they were before the wars that wracked the country, particularly their love for the sport of buzkashi.
[
citation needed
]
The game is also a key element in the book
Caravans
by
James Michener
and the
film of the same name
(1978) starring
Anthony Quinn
. A scene from the film featuring the king of Afghanistan watching a game included the real-life king at the time,
Mohammed Zahir Shah
. The whole sequence of the game being witnessed by the king was filmed on the Kabul Golf Course, where the national championships were played at the time the film was made.
[
citation needed
]
In
Ken Follett
's book,
Lie Down with Lions
(1986), the game is mentioned being played, but instead of a goat, a live Russian soldier is used.
A number of films also reference the game.
La Passe du Diable
, a French 1956 film by Jacques Dupont and Pierre Schoendoerfer, concerns Buzkashi players.
The Horsemen
(1971) starring
Jack Palance
and
Omar Sharif
as father and son is centered on the game. Both
La Passe du Diable
and
The Horseman
are based on a novel by
Joseph Kessel
.
In
Rambo III
(1988), directed by
Peter MacDonald
,
John Rambo
(played by
Sylvester Stallone
) was shown in a sequence playing and scoring in a buzkashi with his
mujahideen
friends when suddenly they were attacked by Soviet forces. The
Tom Selleck
film
High Road to China
(1983) features a spirited game of buzkashi. Buzkashi is described at length in Episode 2, "The Harvest of the Seasons", of the documentary
The Ascent of Man
by
Jacob Bronowski
. It is put in the context of the development, by the
Mongols
, of warfare using the horse and its effect on agricultural settlements. The film includes several scenes from a game in Afghanistan. The opening scenes of the Indian film
Khuda Gawah
(1992), which was filmed in
Afghanistan
and
India
, show actors
Amitabh Bachchan
and
Sridevi
engaged in the game. The game also shown in other Indian films like
Kabul Express
(2006) and
Sahasam
(2013).
The 2012 joint international-Afghan short film
Buzkashi Boys
depicts a fictional story centered on the game, and has won awards at several international film festivals.
[22]
On January 10, 2013, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated
Buzkashi Boys
for an Oscar in the category of Short Film (Live Action) for the
85th Academy Awards
.
[23]
Venerated Buzkashi (ulak tartysh in Kyrgyz) player, 82 year old veteran school teacher Khamid Boronov stars in 2016 feature documentary film
Letters from the Pamirs
by Janyl Jusupjan. Famed Buzkashi players of Jaylgan village Shamsidin and Kazyke appear in a sequence to show the elements of Buzkashi to kids from a town. A spirited Buzkashi match is one of the last episodes of the film made in Jerge-Tal Kyrgyz region in Tajikistan's north.
- ^
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Buzkashi: Game and power in Afghanistan
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ISBN
9781478607823
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Archived
2017-08-28 at the
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2016-04-08
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?
Kokpar
in present-day Kazakhstan
This audio file
was created from a revision of this article dated 17?April?2005
?(
2005-04-17
)
, and does not reflect subsequent edits.