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Evidence for Li'b al-Ghashim
1 pieces of evidence found.
Id DLP.Evidence.729
Type Ethnography
Location Modern Egypt
Date 1860-01-01 - 1860-12-31
Content "One of the games most common among the Egyptians is that of the "mankalah." Two persons play at this, with a board (or two boards joined by hinges) in which are twelve hemispherical holes, called "buyoot" (plural of "beyt"}, in two equal rows ; and with seventy-two small shells, of the kind called cowries ; or as many pebbles : these, whether shells or pebbles, are termed the (in the singular, "hasweh").
To explain the game of the mankalah, I must distinguish the beyts of the board by letters, thus : -
The beyts marked A, B, C, D, E, F, belong to one party; and the opposite six beyts to the other. One of the parties, when they are about to play the game in the most simple manner (for there are two modes of playing it), distributes all the unequally into the beyts ; generally putting at least four into each beyt. If they were distributed equally, there would be six in each beyt ; but this is seldom done ; for, in this case, he who plays first is sure to lose. The act of distributing the is called "tebweez." When one party is dissatisfied with the other's distribution of the he may turn the board round ; and then his adversary begins the game ; which is not the case otherwise. Supposing the party
to whom belong the beyts A, B, C, D, E, F, commences the game, he takes the from beyt F, and distributes them to the beyts a, b, c, &c., one to each beyt ; and if there be enough to put in each of his adversary's six beyts, and more remain in his hand, he proceeds in the same manner to distribute them to his own beyts, in the order A, B, C, &c. ; and then,if he have still one or more remaining, to his adversary's beyts, as before, and so on. If the last beyt into which he has put a contain but one (having been empty before he put that in; for it may have been left empty at the first,) he ceases ; and his adversary plays : but if it contain two or four, he takes its contents, with those of the beyt opposite ; and if the last beyt contain two or four, and one or more of the preceding beyts also contain either of these numbers, no beyt with any other number intervening, he takes the contents of these preceding beyts also, with the contents of those opposite. If the last beyt into which he has put a contain (with this three, or five, or more, he takes these out, and goes on distributing them in the same manner as before ; for instance, if, in this case, the last beyt into which he has put a be D, he puts one from its contents into E, another into F, a third into a, and so on ; and thus he continues, until making the last beyt to contain but one stops him, or making it to contain two or four brings him gain, and makes it his adversary's tum to play. He always plays from beyt F, or, if that be empty, from the nearest beyt to it in his own row con- taining one or more When one party has more than a single in one or more of his beyts, and the other has none, the former is obliged to put one of his into the first of his adversary's beyts. I f only one remain on one side, and none on the other, that one is the property of the person on whose side it is. When the board is completely Cleared, each party counts the number of the he has taken ; and the one who has most reckons the excess of his above his .adversary's number as his gain. The gainer in one board begins to play the next board; his adversary having first distributed the When either party has made his suc- cessive gains amount to sixty, he has won the game.-In this manner, the game of the manl5-alah is played by young persons ; and hence this mode of playing it is called "the game of the ignorant" (" el-ghasheem ")..." Lane 1860: 344-346.
Confidence 100
Source Lane, E. W. 1836. An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. London: John Murray.
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