Early chess pieces from the crossroads of Asia: the Timur Shah collection

Originating in northern India, the game of chess was adopted and developed by the Persian Sassanids, the last great pre-Islamic empire of the Middle East. Until the Muslim Arab invasions of the 7th century and beyond, this region was characterised by a rich blend of cultural influences resulting from invasions from both the West and the East: Greeks, Indians, Kushans, Iranians and Huns.

This book is devoted to the remarkable collection of previously unpublished chess pieces, assembled during the early decades of the second half of the 20th century by the collector Timur Shah. These rare pieces, dating from the 7th to the 12th century, are carved from wood, ivory and semi-precious stones in iridescent colours. It also presents a vast collection of chess pieces carved in abstract forms – the type of chess game that prevailed in Islamic countries from the 8th to the 15th century.