Chess and other Games Pieces from Islamic Lands

The al-Sabah Collection in Kuwait houses hundreds of chess and other games pieces, dating from the 7th to the 19th centuries, crafted in various materials like ivory, wood, ceramic, glass, jade, and agate. These objects hold immense historical and artistic value, depicting the evolution of games and their cultural contexts from the Sasanian period to the Islamic era in Central Asia, Iran, Iraq, and northern India. The collection includes early figural sets, abstract forms, dice, pachesi sets, and a medieval Arabic treatise on chess.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 10 January 2019
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Among the numerous treasures housed within the al-Sabah Collection in Kuwait, there exists a remarkable collection of chess and other games pieces dating from the 7th to the 19th centuries CE. These intricately crafted objects, made from a diverse range of materials such as ivory, wood, ceramic, glass, jade, and agate, hold immense historical and artistic value. Not only do they serve as a testament to the evolution of familiar games into their modern incarnations, but they also transport us back to the imperial palaces, military camps, and herders' tents where these games were played for countless centuries, spanning from the Sasanian period to the Islamic era in Central Asia, Iran, present-day Iraq, and northern India. The chess pieces in the collection showcase a blend of early figural sets and the more abstract forms that later gained popularity throughout the Islamic world. Complementing the chess pieces are dice, pachesi sets, and a medieval Arabic treatise on the game, further enhancing the richness and diversity of the collection.

Weight: 1704g
Dimension: 278 x 222 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780500970928