Photography Gallery by Rob Elphinstone. Photograph of a mujahideen commander playing buzkashi in Afghanistan.

buzkashi afghanistan

Buzkashi, Afghanistan
8"x12"
Limited Edition (50) Photograph 8"x12"
$140CDN (framed)
Copyright Rob Elphinstone 2006

At the end of our stay in Badakhshan province, the mujahideen invited us to a 3 day game of Buzkashi involving the various commanders from the whole province. The game entails trying to pick up the dead calf seen in this photo while as many as 40 horsemen try to stop you. Then you must carry the calf around a distant pole and back to a circle to score some points. This photo shows Pir -e-Baseer (which means "the great commander's Saint") carrying the calf while other horsemen try to intercept him. A few days after this photo was taken, a Soviet offensive killed this wonderful man.