Buzkashi ("goat pulling" in Persian) is a traditional Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a calf carcass in a goal (the "Circle of Justice") made of a white circle drawn on the field. Buzkashi begun around the 10th century A.D. among the nomadic Turkic peoples. Matches draw thousands of fans: Buzkashi is the national sport and a "passion" in Afghanistan where it is often played on Fridays, though it was banned as “immoral” during the Taliban regime. Competition is particularly fierce. A Buzkashi player is called a Chapandaz, believed to be at the top of his skill in his forties, based on the fact that the nature of the game requires its player to undergo severe physical practice and observation. Likewise, horses are severely trained and benefit from due attention. A master Chapandaz can select any horse as pride is brought to the owner of a winning horse. Qarajai is the most complex form of Buzkashi. Players must carry the carcass around a flag at one end of the field, then throw it into a scoring white circle goal at the other end. The calf used for a game is normally beheaded, disembowelled and has 2 limbs cut off. It is then soaked in cold water for 24 hours in order to toughen it, so that it shouldn’t dismantle during the game.
