Two games of ancient Egypt in one box
D U A T
Two games Egyptians played for thousands of years, with rules that say where each comes from, and Heka cards that set the match alight.
The story
Senet is one of the oldest known board games in the world. Egyptians played it from the First Dynasty, and it later became a picture of the soul’s journey through the afterlife. Beside it came a game from the east, the twenty squares, and found its place on the back of the same box. Here is their story in eight moments.
c. 3100–2900 BCE
The oldest traces of senet date from the First Dynasty, at the dawn of written Egyptian history.
Old Kingdom
The first clear picture of senet is in the tomb of Hesy-Re at Saqqara. Its name means “passing”, and in a relief of the time a player says: “The passing is mine.”
c. 2600–2400 BCE
In the Royal Cemetery at Ur in Iraq, Leonard Woolley found boards of the game of twenty squares.
After c. 2000 BCE
It arrived in a “head and tail” shape: a 3 × 4 block and an eight-square lane — the shape of the Egyptian tjau board in the box.
Late 18th Dynasty
Senet became a model of the soul’s journey through the afterlife. Tutankhamun had at least four boxes with senet on one face and twenty squares on the other — the very idea of the DUAT box.
19th Dynasty
Queen Nefertari is painted in her tomb playing senet alone against an unseen opponent.
177 BCE
In Babylon, Itti-Marduk-balāṭu wrote rules for twenty squares on a clay tablet; Irving Finkel of the British Museum published them in 2007.
Today
Both games in one box, with rules that say where each comes from, and Heka cards drawn from the tales of ancient Egypt.
Senet’s original rules are lost. The box uses modern reconstructions by known scholars such as Kendall, Piccione, Jéquier and Finkel, and names where each comes from.
Inside the box
A rigid box, 22.6 × 9.8 × 3 cm, sand with brown drawing, closing on two complete games.
30 squares in 3 rows, the sacred squares drawn with their signs, a quick guide on the back.
The parts lock together. The Egyptian face follows Tutankhamun’s box; the back is the Board of Ur.
7 ivory cones and 7 brown spools, sized for 2 cm squares.
One light face, one dark. Count the light faces; the fifth is a spare.
Magic from the tales of ancient Egypt: each card has a power and a price, and they turn the match.
Two covers for the deck with how to play and the Heka rules, and a band that holds the cards.
Arabic on one side, English on the other, and every way of playing says where it comes from.
One for the pieces, one for the sticks, so nothing goes missing.
Two games, one box
SENET
The game of passing into the Duat
Its oldest traces date from Dynasty 1, about 3100 BCE. Bear your five pieces off before your opponent, and beware the water that sends you back to the House of Rebirth.
TJAU
The twenty squares: a game from the east
Leonard Woolley found its boards in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, and Tutankhamun had it on the back of his senet boards. Bring in your seven pieces, run the lane, and bear them off first.
The mood
From the tables of the pharaohs to the cafés of El Hussein, Egyptians have always gathered around a game, a glass of tea and a laugh. DUAT brings the oldest of those games back to that table, among friends and family.
A glass of tea, good friends, and a five-thousand-year-old game. That's the night.
Heka cards
Heka was the Egyptian word for magic and hidden power. Every card has a power and a price, and each draws on a sourced ancient Egyptian tale.
The cards are a modern, optional DUAT addition, not ancient rules. Learn the games without them first.
Pass over the cards to switch quickly; click one to keep itChosen card: EDICT OF EXILE
1 · EDICT OF EXILE
Horemheb’s decree sent corrupt officials away to Tjaru, on Egypt’s border.
Try before you buy
The same board, pieces and cards. Play the computer, a friend on the same device, or online with an invite link.
Against the computer
Two on one device
Online with a friend
100 free matches of each game, and 100 once you confirm your email.
Start the demo
For shops, gifts and companies
Buying DUAT for your shop, or as gifts for work or an occasion? Message us on WhatsApp and we will agree a price for the quantity.
Order your box
Fill in your details and we will call to confirm. You pay cash on delivery; nothing is paid online.
Price per box
400EGP
instead of 600
FAQ
Cash on delivery only. No online payment and no cards.
Shipping depends on your governorate and shows in the form before you confirm. We call after you order and tell you when it arrives.
No. Senet and Tjau have simple rules you learn in minutes, and the cards are optional. Try both free on this site first.
The original rules are lost. The box uses reconstructions by known scholars such as Kendall, Piccione and Finkel, and names where each comes from.
Ages 8 and up. It has small parts, so it is not for children under 3.
Yes, choose the number in the form. Shipping is charged once per order.