Games, Sport, & Competition
Often in historical and art-historical research, the leisure activities of societies are neglected in the pursuit of other religious and imperial traditions, objects, and art. Like most pre-modern societies, leisure and freetime were luxuries reserved mostly for the rich and powerful classes of the Islamic World. The games, sports, and competitions discussed in this section were enjoyed predominantly by the elite castes of society. Many of them were also symbolically important for powerful Islamic societies. Several imperial traditions emphasize proficiency in mental and physical competitions, like chess, archery, wrestling, and polo as traits necessary for a good ruler. Leaders were expected to be both physically dominant and mentally proficient, defeating foes not only on the battlefield, but on the wrestling or polo pitch and the chessboard as well. There is a rich artistic and literary tradition encompassing these ventures. All of the aforementioned activities feature in stories told in the Iranian epic poem called the Shahnameh, for example, and the moves and strategies utilized within these competitions were also commonly utilized as poetic subjects. These games have also been depicted in visual art such as paintings, carvings and statuary, illuminated manuscripts, and enameled glass.
The Nisaphur Chess pieces represent a rich history of chess in the Islamic world. Carved from ivory, these pieces would have been quite expensive, accessible only to the very wealthy, also evidenced by their discovery in a palatial complex.
The Glass Bottle with Polo Players is a piece of Mamluk enameled glass. It depicts a game of polo, which was a sport played throughout the Islamic world, mostly by nobility, rulers, and high ranking military officials.
The “Wrestlers Wrestling” Painting is an Ottoman art piece by Nakkas Osman. It portrays a wrestling match during the circumcision ceremony of Prince Mehmed in 1582 in front of foreign envoys, promoting Ottoman culture and history
Wrestling in the Ottoman Empire