The Silk Roads exhibition

Excavations at Afrasiab revealed that chess was a favored game among the powerful elite. The exhibition features the world’s earliest known chess pieces, believed to have originated in India as a game for aristocrats to master military strategy. Chess spread along the Silk Road, gaining popularity across the Islamic world and Europe. These seven small ivory pieces depict an Indian army, complete with soldiers, cavalry, a chariot, and an elephant. The display vividly captures the dynamic movement of luxury goods and elite items during the Islamic era.

The Silk Roads exhibition runs until February 23, 2025, at the Sainsbury Exhibition Gallery in the British Museum.