Chess in the Islamic World: Nishapur Ivory Chess Set
Nishapur Chess Set King Piece
Nishapur Chess Set Bishop Piece
Artwork Details
Title: Nishapur Ivory Chess Set
Date: ca. 9th-12th century CE
Medium: Ivory
Credit Line: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; 40.170.150
Image Link: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449842
Chess was a favorite leisurely or competitive pastime of elites in all Islamic polities. These pieces were excavated at an elaborate palatial complex in Nishapur, a Silk Road city in Iran. The use of ivory, an expensive medium during this period, reveals the owners were likely noble. Since the game was mostly enjoyed by the elite, pieces were created from precious materials including ivory, turquoise, and rock crystal.
Although earlier chess pieces in Islamic lands were figural, by the 9th century CE, most became abstracted in form like these. This is likely due to the religious scrutiny surrounding the moral permissibility of the game by Islamic imams and scholars and the wider exclusion of figural representation in religious images.