Ancient board game makes a comeback in Iraq

Iraqi artist Hoshmand Mofaq (left) and British archaeologist Ashley Barlow play an ancient board game called the Royal Game of Ur. Photo: AFP

After rolling pyramid-shaped dice, Iraqi Kurdish artist Hoshmand Muwafaq shifted his pebble around an ornate board, his handmade recreation of one of the Middle East’s oldest and most popular games.

Originating nearly 5,000 years ago in what would become Iraq, the Royal Game of Ur mysteriously died out – until Muwafaq resurrected it by making his own decorated wooden board.“