Game Board

This game board is an example of the highly decorated board games used by the Mamluk elite, featuring chess on the outside and backgammon on the inside. Decorated with micromosaic work and inlaid ivory, it features five-pointed leaf patterns and interlocking triangles and hexagons, as well as stellar and chevron motifs. The decoration composition of the panels can be compared to a group of woodwork pieces attributed to the second quarter of the 8th century AH/ 14th century CE, among them a table made for Umm al-Sultan Sha‘ban complex in Cairo, built in 770 AH/1369 CE. However, the use of stained green bone may indicate the use of Italian intarsia work of the 9th – 10th century AH/15th – 16th century CE, showing how Mamluk craftsmanship continued to influence later production.