Afghanistan’s favourite sport is thriving, even under Taliban rule

When the Taliban seized power in 2021, many feared the new government would ban buzkashi, Afghanistan’s beloved national sport, which the group had deemed sinful during its first time in power in the 1990s.

But the fast-paced equestrian game is still thriving here, regularly drawing an audience of thousands - including Taliban members. The spectators are all men. Afghan women, subject to increasingly draconian restrictions, are not allowed.

In Baghlan, a province north of Kabul that saw heavy fighting during the 20-year Taliban insurgency, hundreds of men gathered on an empty desert plain on a recent weekend. They cheered loudly as players pulled a leather mock goat carcass across the field, trying to drop it into the scoring area. Onlookers crowded the field of play and were sent rushing to the hills as riders galloped in their direction.

“It’s just as thrilling as other competitive sports, like cricket and soccer,” said Narbay Pahlawan, a professional buzkashi player. “Teams often travel from far away.”

Some see the Taliban’s embrace of buzkashi as emblematic of a new generation of leaders. Anas Haqqani, the influential younger brother of the Taliban’s interior minister, said he and his fellow fighters used to follow European soccer matches on the radio in between battles with U.S. and coalition forces.

Even to government hard-liners, buzkashi serves a useful purpose: It is particularly popular in Afghanistan’s rural north, traditionally a stronghold of anti-Taliban resistance.

Mohammad Wali Baghlani, a 60-year-old businessman in Baghlan, owns several buzkashi horses. It’s an expensive hobby. Some horses are bred in neighboring parts of Central Asia and each costs him thousands of dollars a year to maintain. But the price is worth it to “keep our tradition alive,” he said.

Many owners pay professional players - known as pahlawans - to participate in the games, which can quickly turn dangerous.

“We practice and follow a strict diet throughout the summer to stay fit,” said Narbay.

Buzkashi is believed to have been invented by nomadic Central Asian tribes, historians say, perhaps more than 1,000 years ago. Until recently, the game was primarily played with real goat or calf carcasses, which could weigh as much as 100 pounds. The leather substitutes are much lighter, but fans say it hasn’t made the game any less thrilling.

In Baghlan, once a stop along the Silk Road, the love of horses is ancient and enduring. A rock relief on the outskirts of Pol-e-Khomri, the regional capital, shows a galloping horse.

More recently, during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that began in 1979, fighters rode their steeds into battle: “Our horses didn’t run away,” said Baghlani, “They tried to shield us.”

These days, the country faces different challenges. Even before the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, about half of Afghans lived in poverty. The regime’s return has deepened the country’s economic woes, sapping aid and investment. For many, buzkashi is a welcome distraction.

Increasingly, though, the game faces a new enemy: climate change. Afghanistan is especially vulnerable to climate shocks, including drought, which has turned large parts of the country into arid wastelands.

This region used to have plenty of grass for horses to graze on. Now, said Baghlani, “the soil is drying out.” - Washington Post