Mamluk Playing Cards
Nã'ib, the game of lieutenants... these cards are amongst the earliest Arabic playing cards extant.
Nã'ib*, the game of lieutenants...
The early history of cards in Western Europe was related to the invasion of North Africa, Spain and Sicily by Islamic forces during the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt which ended in 1517. This coincided with the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada in Andalusia (13th - 15th century), the last Islamic stronghold in the Iberian Peninsula. Spain was the point of contact with the Arab world, where cultural, military and commercial interactions occurred. The game of cards became established in most West European countries by c.1375, but was being banned by the authorities shortly afterwards which suggests their rapid popularity.
The cards shown below are from a reconstructed XV or early XVI century Mamluk pack, hand-drawn and hand-painted, probably belonging to a wealthy or illustrious owner. They are a beautiful example of the important and often overlooked cultural, technical and artistic influence which Islam has bestowed upon the Western world, evident in the many artistic, architectural and archæological treasures displaying their characteristic geometric construction. In this case we are looking at the ancestor of our humble playing card.
The underlying design is very simple but the surface has been ornamented. The border of some cards is in the shape of a horseshoe arch as seen in Islamic doorways, windows, friezes and gravestone decorations. The suits are coins, cups, swords and polo-sticks (emblem of the most popular of the aristocratic sports in the Mamluk Empire) and there are 13 cards per suit: the numbers 1 to 10 plus 3 court cards, the King, the Lieutenant and the Second Lieutenant (all male). The ranks of the court cards are given in the blue inscription areas at the bottom of the cards. In European packs the court cards were of course represented pictorially, and it may be noteworthy that early Italian and Spanish court-cards did not always contain queens, possibly due to their origin in the Islamic or Saracenic pack, which is also suggested by the very similar suit symbols.
The calligraphic texts along the tops of the cards consist of rhyming aphorisms which are often very enchanting, sometimes strange, but always interesting: “With the sword of happiness I shall redeem a beloved who will afterwards take my life“ - “O thou who hast possessions, remain happy and thou shalt have a pleasant life.” - “Let it come to me, because acquired good is durable; it rejoices me with all its utility” - “Pleasures for the soul and agreeable things, in my colours there are all kinds” - “Look how wonderful my game is and my dress extraordinarily beautiful” - “I am as a garden, the like of which will never exist” - “O my heart, for thee the good news that rejoices” - “Rejoice in the happiness that returns, as a bird that sings its joy”.
“As for the present that rejoices, thy heart will soon open up“ - “I will, as pearls on a string, be lifted in the hands of kings” - “May God give thee prosperity; then thou will already have achieved thy aim” - “Rejoice for thy lasting happiness” - “Rejoice in the pleasant things and the success of the objects” - “I am as a flower, a string of pearls is my soil?” - “The alif rejoices and fulfils your wishes” - “Whosoever will call me to his happiness, he will only see joyful looks”.
The pack is incomplete and consists of 47 cards, divided into 4 suits, with 13 cards per suit, so that the complete pack would have contained 52 cards, with plain backs. The cards illustrated here are from a reconstructed facsimile edition published by Aurelia Books, Brussels and Louvain, 1972. The boxed set also contains a booklet produced by Jan Bauwens which contains the Arabic inscriptions on the cards translated by Prof. Tangi of the University of Istanbul. Unfortunately the scholarship in the analysis of the cards has been found to be inaccurate in that Bauwens mistakenly follows an earlier assessment by L.A. Mayer in thinking that the pack contained four, instead of only three, court cards per suit. Furthermore, some of the original cards have been replaced by reconstructed cards which conform to his faulty theory about which cards bore inscriptions.
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
Related Articles
Woodblock and Stencil Joker
A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.
Burgundy pattern
The old Burgundy (or Burgundian) pattern by Nicolas Chenevet, Dijon.
Trappola pack by Joseph Fetscher
Trappola pack published by Joseph Fetscher, Graz, 1739.
Lyon pattern by Michel Ressy
Lyon pattern by Michel Ressy, c.1760.
Trappola pack by Anton Herrl
Trappola pack of 36 double-ended cards published by Anton Herrl, Graz, Austria.
75: Early American cards
An overview of some of the early cards made in the United States.
Papyrus Playing Cards
Papyrus playing cards distributed by Egypt Trade, c.1996.
Âs Nas playing cards with box
Hand made cards from Persia
Âs Nas
Âs Nas type playing cards from Persia.
Moorish Deck
Review of “Trzes’ Moorish Deck” facsimile published by Ulrich Kaltenborn, Berlin, 2023.
Souvenir Playing Cards of Egypt
55 different photographic views of Egypt in full colour.
Tarot of the Thousand and One Nights (1001 Nights Tarot)
This tarot deck captures the idealised Eastern world's magic from the eighteenth and nineteenth cent...
Early German playing cards
Some early examples of popular German playing cards from the XV and XVI centuries.
Auvergne Pattern
The Auvergne pattern is one of the oldest in France.
Infirrera
Italo-Portuguese-suited cards by Andrea Infirrera with the arms of Malta, 1693.
Portuguese cards for Brazil
Portuguese-type cards made in or for Brazil, c.1890.
The Parisian Tarot
The “Parisian Tarot”, early 1600s, with imagery and design synthesizing several influences.
Vittoriosa Church Museum
Antique playing cards in Vittoriosa Church Museum dating back to the Knights of Malta period.
Ancient Egypt playing cards
Fully illustrated set of cards depicting various aspects of Ancient Egyptian life and culture.
73: Fakes, Forgeries and Tax Evasion
When there are official taxes to pay, people will find a way to avoid paying them - often illegally....
Russian Playing Card History - From the Beginnings to 1917
An in-depth review of the history of card-playing, gambling, legislation, manufacture and taxation o...
Russian Playing Card Monopoly
The Russian Playing Card Monopoly was established in March 1798 with all revenue going to support th...
Trappola cards from Prague
15 Trappola playing cards possibly made by Johann Ziser of Prague, c1760.
XV Century Spanish-suited playing cards
XV Century Spanish-suited playing cards with moorish influences
Juego de Naipes Andalusí
Andalusian playing cards designed by Marifé Montoya Carrillo with booklet by Jorge Lirola Delgado, 2...
Languedoc pattern
The old Languedoc pattern was known at the beginning of the seventeenth century, if not before.
Pierre Roiné Aluette
Archaic form of Aluette published by Pierre Roiné, Nantes, c.1785.
Dutch costume playing cards from an unknown maker
Another pack of Dutch costume playing cards c.1880.
Portuguese-suited cards
Portuguese-suited cards with dragon aces, made in Italy, 1613.
Antoine de Logiriera
Archaic Spanish-suited playing cards published in Toulouse by Antoine de Logiriera (1495-1518).
J. Deluy c.1490s
Archaic Spanish-suited cards produced by J. Deluy c.1490s.
Dutch costume playing cards
Dutch costume playing cards made for the Dutch market in the second half of the 19th century.
Royal Cards Reign of Queen Anne
“Royal Cards Reign of Queen Anne” cover historical events, both honourable and treacherous, during t...
72: The Ace of Spades
In standard English packs the Ace of Spades is associated with decorative designs. This is a histori...
Dubois
Dubois card makers from Liège in the Walloon Region of Belgium.
Playing Cards: A Secret History
Playing Cards: A Secret History
A. Camoin & Cie
This deck was inherited from ancestors, it has has a family history surrounding it. Details of the l...
History of Playing Cards explained in 5 Minutes
Video by Art of Impossible. In this video you will get a short overview of the most important histor...
Toledo, 1584
Archaic Spanish-suited deck with 48 cards made in Toledo in 1584.
Gambling and Vice in the Middle Ages
Gambling and Vice in the Hours of Charles V: card-playing in the local tavern
“Deck with French suits”
A facsimile of an early 19th century French-suited deck from the collection of F.X. Schmid.