Sport & games
Tavla
Backgammon, the game of every tea house, played fast and loud.
The Turkish name
Tavla
Recording on its way.
The story
Tavla is played on a folding wooden board in tea houses, gardens and homes across the country, usually with a glass of tea beside it. Players slap the pieces down and call the dice in old Persian-derived words: yek, dü, se, cihar, penç, şeş.
Boards inlaid with mother-of-pearl are a traditional gift, and a good tavla player is respected in any neighbourhood.
At a glance
- Players
- Two
- The dice, called out
- Yek, dü, se, cihar, penç, şeş