The game that has been said to capture the spirit of Afghanistan is buzkashi, which could loosely be described as "carcase polo". The aim is to seize a medium-sized decapitated animal (generally a goat, sheep or calf), ride around a series of obstacles and deposit it in a circle. Simple enough, if several hundred other crazy brave expert horsemen weren't trying to do exactly the same thing.
The loathsome Taliban regime suppressed the sport, along with almost everything else, and one of the first things Afghans did after their liberation (or at least their return to customary state of anarchy) was to recommence regular buzkashi matches.