Buzkashi - A famous Central Asian sport

Buzkashi (literally "goat dragging" in Persian), also known as kokpar kupkari and ulak tartysh is the Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to drag a goat or calf carcass toward a goal. It is the national sport of Afghanistan, although it was banned under the Taliban regime. Traditionally, games could last for several days, but in its more regulated tournament version, it has a limited match time.
Today buzkashi is played by several Central Asian ethnic groups and in Northern parts of Pakistan, Kyrgyz, Pashtuns, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Uyghurs, Hazaras, Tajiks, and Turkmens. In the West, the game is also played by Afghani Turks (ethnic 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 Tajiks of Xinjiang.
Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Matthew for this beautiful card from Tajikistan!

Sent: March 2016   Received: 4 May 2016