Mambo

The buzkashi scene is fast-changing and it is intimately linked to the history of Afghanistan. As described in the book of Joseph Kessel "The Horsemen", buzkashi, which is originally a feature of the Turkic peoples from the northern provinces of Afghanistan, was brought to Kabul by King Zahir Shah in the 1950s. In these times, the government started to host national tournaments and slowly took total control of the organization of the game. Buzkashi truly became the afghan national sport. The Horsemen was written in this context, in 1967. But what happened then?


Buzkashi thrived until 1979, when the communists sized the central power. The red leaders tried to use buzkashi as a propaganda tool, but resistant mujahideens refused to abide and take part in governmental games. In these times buzkashi went back to the people, with powerful local leaders and mujahideens organizing their own contests. Then the Taleban arrived and the game was totally banned. It almost disappeared as it was forbidden, except for some very rare occasions, and with the risk of being crushed by the ruling militias.

In the aftermath of the 2001 events and the fall of the Taliban regime, buzkashi is now flourishing again. The mujahideens who used to play the game in exile have come back to the country and spread it nationwide. Today buzkahi is played by Hazara in the Central Highlands, Pashto in the South, Tajik in Kabul…


Paradoxically, the genuine buzkashi culture is vanishing. Indeed, the peoples who have recently entered the game are not familiar with the ancient secrets of hippology. The true and original practices of breeding and training horses are actually disappearing and the knowledge of the expert horsemen is being diluted.

The techniques of the game itself are changing. While the original core players of buzkashi were Uzbeks and Turkmen born in the saddle, most tchopendozan are now less skilled occasional week-end players. They play a wholy different amusement on sturdy horses imported from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Sadly, these tall and strong stallions, which are crossbreds created in the USSR for agricultural work, are slowly supplanting the local breeds.

The game of the King, which used to be the first game in the season and gather teams from the Northern provinces, is no longer happening. There are no more such national events drawing together and federating the teams as described in The Horsemen.









King Zahir Shah