We all have a deck lying somewhere in the house, but did you know that the art of passing time with cards has its roots in Egypt? Before they became synonymous with European leisure, playing cards were symbols of culture, art, and social interaction under the Mamluks, carrying a legacy that stretches across centuries.
Their origin story is far more fascinating than what most people might imagine. While Europe often claims the spotlight for the modern deck, playing cards as we do today first emerged in 13th-century Egypt. Back then, they weren’t covered in royal portraits, instead, they boasted intricate geometric patterns and detailed Arabic calligraphy, crafted in line with Islamic art’s avoidance of human imagery.
Fast forward to the 14th century, and these same cards started making their way westward through trade routes, introduced to Europe by Arab merchants. At the time known as Naibi cards, they quickly captured the attention of stevedores across Mediterranean ports. Over time, the abstract designs and unique suits of polo sticks, swords, cups, and coins— symbols tied to the Mamluk elite— morphed to adopt a more European fitting, evolving into the familiar suits of hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs we know today.
The cards’ transformation wasn’t just about aesthetics; it also reflected the shifting cultural and political dynamics of the time. When European fleets discovered Mamluk designs, they swapped out the faceless, abstract, motifs used to represent Kings, Queens, and Knights, with more lifelike illustrations, going against the religious beliefs of those who first designed the game. According to several historical accounts, some historians suggest that the redesign process might have been a deliberate move to edge out Muslim merchants and assert European dominance over trade, as well as the culture that was passed through the exchange of goods along mercantile routes.
By the 15th century, France had fully revamped the deck, quickly becoming the new standard set across Europe. And by the time they returned to the Arab world, they had been stripped of their identity entirely, transformed into something alien to their creators.
Leaving the original Mamluk designs in the shadows, what began as a symbol of cultural exchange slowly evolved into a symbol of division. The faceless cards, which once celebrated the elegance and sophistication of Mamluk Egypt, were gradually replaced by decks that not only obscured their origins but erased them entirely— without acknowledgment, remembrance, or even knowledge of their existence. Today, as most people flip through a deck without knowing its story, its regional roots remain hidden, almost forgotten, lost in the grand shuffle of time.
