When an opponent's kite is cut free, it flutters like a colorful, dying bird into the far reaches of the city. Kite fighters often wrap a piece of leather around their fingers to protect themselves from the taut wire, which can cut to the bone. After it is dry, the wire is wound around the spool. The wire is then coated with this paste to make it strong and sharp. First, glass is finely ground and combined with an adhesive mixture to make a thick paste. And he, too, has to let his wire go until his kite goes free."Įverything in Afghan kite fighting depends on the quality of the wire and how it is prepared.
#History of afghan kite fighting free
If, for example, during the kite fighting I'm running out of wire, then there is nothing else to do but to cut the wire off the spool and let it go free in order to beat my opponent. But if my kite gets cut free, then I buy another to fight with. I enjoy it very much if my kite can cut off the other kite and make it go free. When I see people are flying kites, then I buy a kite to fly and fight with the other kites. He explains what appeals to him about gudiparan bazi. Twenty-five-year-old Muhasel stands on the shaky roof of his small videocassette shop in southeastern Kabul, engaged in a kite fight with an unseen opponent elsewhere in the neighborhood. The object is to use the wire of your kite to cut the wire of your opponent's kite and set it free. During the fight, or "jang," two kites are flown close to one another, often at great heights. In Afghanistan, wherever there are kites, there is kite fighting. The second person - called the "gudiparan baz," or kite flyer - actually controls the movement of the kite in the air. One person, the "charka gir," holds the wooden spool around which the wire, or "tar," is wound. The author tries his hand at kite flying in Kabul. Many Afghans have returned to the pastime with a vengeance.
The fall of the Taliban in the capital one year ago (13 November), however, meant that Afghans could again fly kites without fear of punishment. Even if you had a pigeon in your hand, or any other birds, they would beat you and make it go free." If you flew a kite, would beat you and would break the spool and tear the kite up. "During the Taliban, kite flying was not allowed. He recalls what the Taliban would do if they caught someone flying a kite. Karim is 12 years old and is helping his friend Muhasel fly a kite. The Taliban regime banned hobbies such as kite flying and bird keeping, in the belief that such pastimes were un-Islamic. A closer look reveals hundreds of brightly colored kites soaring high into the air. To the first-time visitor, the skies above Kabul appear to be filled with fluttering birds or pieces of paper caught in the wind. This is a battle for control of the skies above the old city - not between flying machines made of metal and rivets, but between delicate airborne art constructed from paper and string.Īfghans have elevated kite flying - or "gudiparan bazi" - to an art form, and one of its chief attractions is kite fighting. KABUL - It is a sunny day in Kabul, and the fighting is fierce.
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