Boardgames are timeless. From universal board games played worldwide to games that have been created in specific parts of the world – they’re a great way to spend time with friends and family. In the Arab world, board games can be found at almost any Arabic coffee house or café and they become an essential part of an outing. Here are some board games that are loved in the Arab world.

Tawla

If you’ve been to any café in the Arab world, you can definitely to have this game delivered to your table! Simply put, this is backgammon, but with a Middle Eastern twist. In fact, ‘Tawla’ is the Turkish name for backgammon, and the rules are similar, but not exactly the same as Western backgammon some of us may be familiar with.

Dama

One of the popular games embedded in the ancestry of the region is something called ‘dama’. It’s a form of checkers played in the Middle East and is a simple strategy board game, but it has different rules for other forms of chess. Dama is played on a wooden board with 64 squares, and each player has 16 pieces, to begin with and as the game proceeds, the player can win or lose pieces to their competitor.

Carrom Board

Played all over the Arab world, the Carrom board – easily described as ‘finger pool’ – is played using a large, square wooden board on which players can flick a large weighted disc at smaller, wooden discs called the Carrom-men. The goal is to sink your 9 Carrom-men, as well as the red Queen, into the four corner pockets.

Jackaroo

A more modern board game that you can play at almost any Arabic café is Jackaroo – or as Arabs call it – ‘Jawaker’. The wooden playing boards are handcrafted and fold at the center, usually supplied with quality bags with a pocket for marbles and playing cards. It’s a great game to play with your friends with some Arabic coffee and shisha!