Afghan leaders have for years sought a means through which to unify a country made up of a patchwork of different ethnic groups and tribal rivalries. The means they've settled on: Ahmad Shah Massoud. Since his death at the hands of an al Qaeda bomb in September 2001, a cult of personality has formed around Massoud, whose mythology was built up through fighting against both the Soviets and the Taliban. This elevation of Massoud to the status of national hero has come about both organically and at the encouragement of officials, who seek both to claim a bit of Massoud's popularity for themselves and to provide a larger-than-life figure that Afghans can rally around. Whether or not Massoud -- who fought bravely, but whose personal feuds often devastated the lives of thousands of unwilling civilians -- fits the bill is not yet clear. In the meantime, Massoud, whose face now covers cars, billboards, posters and carpets across Afghanistan, has become an absentee rival for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who now must operate in the shadow of a legend. Writing in Foreign Policy, James Verini argues that the combination of a complex legacy and posthumous star power means Massoud has become "the Che Guevara of Central Asia."
Two men sit under a billboard of Massoud in Kabul in 2002. At the time, Massoud had been dead less than a year, but his image was already plastered across Kabul.
PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
A cleaner polishes Massoud's face on a poster at the
entrance of Kabul international airport in September 2003.
EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS
President Hamid Karzai delivers a speech from behind a podium covered with Massoud's image. The speech was given at a gathering in 2004 to mark the third anniversary of Massoud's assassination. Karzai has sought to capitalize on Massoud's popularity, but some have questioned whether setting himself up for comparisons with the dead hero is wise.
EPA/SYED JAN SABAWOON
Afghan schoolgirls perform in front of a giant portrait of
Massoud in 2006 during a ceremony marking the 14th anniversary of
the mujahideen victory over the communist regime in Kabul.
SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
Afghan soldiers carry portraits of Massoud in 2006 during a
parade to commemorate Afghanistan's independence from the British in 1919.
SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
Massoud watches over training athletes from a billboard in
Kabul Olympic National Stadium in 2008.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Karzai, bottom right, speaks beneath a large poster of
Massoud in 2008. Sept. 9, the date of his death, is observed
as a national holiday and known as Massoud Day.
MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
An Afghan man walks by a wall with posters of incumbent
president Hamid Karzai and Massoud in Kabul in 2009, prior to the August
election. Pictures of Karzai are often placed alongside Massoud, in an effort
to create an association between the two leaders.
MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
In Afghani politics, everyone tries to claim a piece of
Massoud: above, supporters of former presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah
await his arrival under a picture of Massoud in August 2009, days before that
year's election.
SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
An Afghan man sits on top of a tank surrounded by pictures
of Massoud in Sept. 2009 in Panjshir, Afghanistan. Thousands came to honor
Massoud at his mausoleum in Panjshir on the eighth anniversary of his death.
PAULA BRONSTEIN/Getty Images
A memorial honoring Massoud sits at a scenic overlook in the
Bazarak district, Panjshir province, in 2011.
SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
Afghans drove through Kabul in cars covered with Massoud
posters to show respect on the 10th anniversary of Massoud's
assassination in September 2011.
John Moore/Getty Images
An Afghan man drinks tea in a small restaurant in front of a
carpet adorned with an image of Massoud in Kabul in September of this year.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/GettyImages
