The oldest ancestor of backgammon is the Royal Game of Ur — 4,500 years old. The direct predecessor is Nard, invented in Sassanid Persia around 800 CE. Backgammon boards are one of the great Middle Eastern craft objects — Turkish tavla, Iranian nard, Egyptian and Syrian marquetry. The Turkish/Iranian craft of mother-of-pearl and sadaf inlay backgammon boards continues today in Damascus, Isfahan, and Istanbul.
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Each country page describes how this game and its variants are played there — its own name, its own board, its own rules.
🇮🇷Iran (Nard — carved and inlay boards)🇹🇷Turkey (Tavla — Istanbul craft)Syria (Damascus marquetry)🇪🇬Egyptworldwide
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