Ancient Egyptians sometimes played entertaining games to prepare for warfare or conduct war. It was common for Egyptians to participate in a wide range of sports, such as jogging and jumping and traditional activities like archery or wrestling. “Shooting the Rapids” was one of the ancient Egyptian games (Fadel, 2020). Papyrus and parchment balls were utilized in a branch-based hockey game, and the players struck the balls with their branches in addition to playing and watching games. Children of all ages participated in various activities, from hockey to gymnastics to swimming. Although boys and girls used to play these games, they could not play them together. Sports and games were popular pastimes for men; in this case, a referee decided the winner (Elgammal, 2022), after which they would wear uniforms similar to those today.
Tahtib is a martial technique that uses the rod to achieve physical and mental fitness. Both competing audiences benefit from the beauty and constancy of tahtib skills and rhythm, which have evolved over their long history (Akinci, 2020). The art of tahtib has the potential to make a significant contribution to Egypt’s social and cultural landscapes. Since it was not aimed at a particular social group, ancient Egyptians developed great enthusiasm for the game and defined its roots and rules, which they documented in their tombs and temples.
When the Romans ruled, Tahtib was reportedly utilized for entertainment in ancient Christian scriptures. Various types of traditional art have been seen in celebrations such as weddings and holidays. King Sahoo Ra II of the Fifth Empire left inscriptions in the Giza region, which incorporated tahtib symbols (Jerzak, 2022). However, throughout the modern empire, the symbols of tahtib were uncovered as ceremonial artifacts on the archaeological walls of the districts of Luxor and Saqqara, and archeological inscriptions were unearthed in the Minya Governorate during the eleventh dynasty. Egyptian archaeologists unearthed two distinct phases of the modern empire between 1183 and 1152 BC, and they discovered traces of men playing with sticks in the “Khro AiF” cemetery west of Luxor.
Regarding Tahtib, even though it is a fight between two people, it is an all-inclusive event in which everyone participates. As a part of their presentation, dancers use their bodies as harmony instruments. A stick is employed as a weapon in this combat between the two players (Akinci, 2020). While “stick” is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and traditions of Prophet Muhammad numerous times, so is “stick game.” to keep the wood from drying out, it is sanded. The left-hand moves over the rod in various directions to defend or attack. The end of the rod is held in place by the user. A few teachers advocate putting the thumb right next to the stick. It is impossible to have a stiff wrist.
To begin the game of tug of war, each team must first take up a stick to signify their intent to engage in combat. Each rival then performed El-mussalpha. The competition begins only when two competitors hold the sticks with both hands and begin fighting. When a stick is used to strike an opponent, the winner is declared to be the one who made contact with their body first (Jerzak, 2022). During the race, participants attempt to move their sticks to make contact with their opponent’s torso while avoiding making contact with their opponent’s head or upper body with their sticks (Akinci, 2020). The spectators can finish the race if one of their opponents breaks a regulation. Its strict code of conduct upholds many of Tahtib’s virtues, such as chivalry, pride, and harmony. There are a lot of people that enjoy playing this game throughout various celebrations.
References
Akinci, A. Y. (2020). The historical journey of wrestling from ancient Egypt to today. International journal of applied exercise physiology, 9(7), 63-72.
Elgammal, Y. &.-R. (2022). Architecture design of stadium facilities between ancient times and today. The Egyptian international journal of engineering sciences and technology, 38(1), 26-40. Web.
Fadel, D. (2020). Social entertainment in greco-roman egypt (games and sports). Journal of association of arab universities for tourism and hospitality, 19(3), 1-34. Web.
Jerzak, C. T. (2022). Routledge handbook of sport in the middle east. In Football Fandom in Egypt (pp. 196-207). Routledge.