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Buzkashi: Like Polo, But With A Headless Goat

NPR | By Sean Carberry
Published May 4, 2014 at 3:38 AM MDT
A chapandaz exhibits nearly perfect form: Whip in mouth, he hoists the buz — or ball — under his right leg and steers the horse with his left arm, during a round of buzkashi.
David Gilkey
/
NPR
A chapandaz exhibits nearly perfect form: Whip in mouth, he hoists the buz — or ball — under his right leg and steers the horse with his left arm, during a round of buzkashi.

Buzkashi is a centuries-old game in Afghanistan in which men on horses compete to pick up the carcass of a dead calf, carry it across a field, and drop it in a designated circle. See the full story here.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Sean Carberry
Sean Carberry is NPR's international correspondent based in Kabul. His work can be heard on all of NPR's award-winning programs, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition.
See stories by Sean Carberry

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