Qajar Dynasty playing cards

Ganjafeh was a popular card game in Iran and the Arab world, played between two and nine players with ninety-six cards. In the Qajar period (AD.1779-1924) the poker-like game of as was played with five suits of five cards each.

Qajar Dynasty playing cards, Iran, 19th century

Above: Qajar Dynasty playing cards, Iran, 19th century, lacquer on laminated paper. Two cards come from one suit and the other two are from separate suits, but is is not clear for which game they were intended. Photograph courtesy Adam Wintle.

Above: six Qajar Dynasty playing cards, Iran, 19th century, lacquer on laminated bone. These cards include the 7 of tigers, the 5 and 8 of parakeets and the 4, 6 and 7 of eagles. Images courtesy V&A Museum, London [1914 5-18 02.1-6]. Photograph courtesy Adam Wintle.

FURTHER REFERENCES

The Rubaiyat-e-Ganjifa is contained somewhere within this larger work: Rubaiyat-e-Ganjifa►

By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

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Curator 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.