| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Afghanistan |
|---|
 |
| History |
| People |
| Languages |
| Mythology |
| Cuisine |
| Festivals |
| Religion |
| Sport |
The nation of Afghanistan has various traditional games and sports.
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Afghanistan |
|---|
| |
| History |
| People |
| Languages |
| Mythology |
| Cuisine |
| Festivals |
| Religion |
| Sport |
The nation of Afghanistan has various traditional games and sports.
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2024) |
Archery has been a popular game among the various ethnic groups of Afghanistan. [1] [2] [3]
This game is played during the time of year when the first snow falls. One person sends a messenger to another person's home, and if the recipient of the message fails to catch the messenger before the messenger can return home, then the recipient must pay for a large meal for the sender of the message; otherwise, the message-sender pays. [4] [5] [6]
Bujal bazi, known as Bejali in some parts of the country, is a game played by children with sheep knucklebones. [7]
Gudiparan bazi in Dari or kaghazbad in Pashto are some of the local names for kite fighting and kite running in Afghanistan. [8] [9] It has been going on in the country for over 100 years. [10]
In the game of khusai (pronounced as ghorsai in Persian), two teams attempt to pass each other to the other team's goal line, while preventing the other team from doing the same. [6] The game requires hopping on one foot in order to knock opponents down. [11] [12]
Two teams of four to five players compete by throwing stones at a target; each player gets 10 throws, and the player that throws the closest to the target in a given round wins that round. Hitting the target directly earns twice as many points. The team that reaches 10 points first wins. [13]
During certain public holidays such as Eid al-Fitr, participants in this game paint hard-boiled eggs and then bump them against other participants' eggs in order to break the other eggs. [14] [15] [16] [17]
The game of carrom is played in many Afghan homes, including in public parks. [18]
Chaka is the local name for Ludo board game in Afghanistan.
Koresh, also known as chepanki wrestling, is a form of belt wrestling. [20] [21]
Pahlawani is a form of wrestling contested over four rounds, in which each round is won by the participant who can flip their opponent onto their back. [22] [7]
Buzkashi (Persian: بزکشی, lit. 'goat pulling') is the national sport of Afghanistan. It is a traditional sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat or calf carcass in a goal. Similar games are known as kokpar, kupkari, and ulak tartysh in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
The economy of Afghanistan is listed as the 155th largest in the world in terms of nominal gross domestic product (GDP), and 137th largest in the world in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). With a population of around 41 million people, Afghanistan's GDP (nominal) stands at $6.81 billion as of 2024, amounting to a GDP per capita of $200. Its annual exports exceed $1.0 billion, with agricultural, mineral and textile products accounting for 94% of total exports. The nation's total external debt is $8.0 billion as of 2024. Afghanistan’s (GDP) nominal is projected to fall to $5.79 billion & GDP per capita $142 for the financial year 2025.
The Eidgah Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is located to the southeast of the affluent Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood, near the Ghazi Stadium and Chaman-e-Hozori. It was built during the late 19th century and early 20th century, when the country was ruled by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan and his son Habibullah Khan. It is now a historical site for tourists to visit.
Environmental issues in Afghanistan are monitored by the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA). They predate the political turmoil of the past few decades. Forests have been depleted by centuries of grazing and farming, practices which have only increased with modern population growth.
Tarinkot, also spelled as Tarin Kowt, is a city in south-central Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Uruzgan Province. It sits at 1,317 m (4,321 ft) above sea level, and is connected by a road network with Kandahar to the south, Nili in Daykundi Province to the north, and Malistan in Ghazni Province to the northeast.
Markaz-i Bihsūd District is one of the districts of Maidan Wardak Province in Afghanistan. It is located less than an hour-drive west of Kabul and south Bamyan. The main town in the district is Behsud. The district has an estimated population of 134,852 people, majority of which are ethnic Hazaras.
Afghan passports are international travel documents issued by the General Directorate of Passports to nationals and citizens of Afghanistan. Every person with a valid Afghan identity card (Tazkira) can apply for and receive an Afghan passport, which is renewable every 5–10 years.
Health in Afghanistan remains poor but steadily improving. It has been negatively affected by the nation's environmental issues and the decades of war since 1978. The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) oversees all matters concerning the health of the country's residents. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Afghanistan is fulfilling 72.5% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income.
Sport in Afghanistan is managed by the Afghan Sports Federation. Currently, cricket and association football (soccer) are the most popular sports in Afghanistan. The Afghan Sports Federation has promoted many types of sports, including basketball, bodybuilding, boxing, bowling, cricket, football, golf, mountaineering, paragliding, skating, skiing, snooker, taekwondo, track and field, volleyball, and weightlifting. The traditional sport of Afghanistan has been Buzkashi, which is now occasionally seen in the northern parts of the country.
An Afghan rug is a type of handwoven floor-covering textile traditionally made in the northern and western areas of Afghanistan, mainly by Afghan Turkmens and Uzbeks. The industry is being expanded to all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
Presidential elections were held in Afghanistan on 5 April 2014, with a second round held on 14 June. Incumbent President Hamid Karzai was not eligible to run due to term limits. The registration period for presidential nominations was open from 16 September 2013 until 6 October 2013. A total of 27 candidates were confirmed to be running for office. However, on 22 October Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission disqualified 16 of the candidates, leaving only 11 in the race. By April 2014 three candidates gave up the race and decided to support some of the eight remaining candidates. Opinion polls showed Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani as the front-runners and indeed the results of the first round of the election had Abdullah in the lead and Ghani behind him. The second set of results came after the run-off on 14 June, two months after the first round. Preliminary results were expected on 2 July and the final result on 22 July. However, widespread accusations of fraud delayed these results. As a result, John Kerry, then United States Secretary of State, mediated the negotiations between the two final candidates, Ghani and Abdullah. After a series of negotiations and talks between Ghani, Abdullah and Kerry, the two candidates agreed to sign an Agreement to form a National Unity Government based on 50–50 power sharing. As a result of that political agreement, a separate position was created for Abdullah as Chief Executive. The National Unity Government's term ran out after the next Afghan presidential election was held in September 2019.
Nowruz is the beginning of springtime and a cultural holiday in Afghanistan. It is also celebrated by the majority of the Afghan diaspora around the world. Farmer's Day, which starts around the same time as the Afghan New Year, is celebrated nationwide alongside Nowruz and usually lasts around two weeks. Among other things, the celebration involves planting saplings and flowers throughout the country.
The Afghan Tazkira is an official national identity document issued to every national and citizen of Afghanistan, including a member of the Afghan diaspora around the world.
Pakistan has many traditional games played in the rural and urban areas of the country.
Animal husbandry in Afghanistan is a traditional way of life, which exists in all 34 provinces of the country, and plays an important role in the nation's economy. The livestock in Afghanistan mainly include sheep, cattle, and goats. All of these produce red meat and dairy products for local consumption. Weddings, zakats and the annual Eid al-Adha boost the sale of these animals. As a totally Islamic country, pig farming and consumption of pork are simply nonexistent. The wool of the slaughtered sheep is used to make Afghan rugs, clothing, and other products.