Âs Nas -- ancient playing cards
20 cards

Âs Nas is an ancient Persian game that is believed to be a possible predecessor of poker. No evidence has actually ever been found to support this hypothesis. The exact rules of the game Âs Nas have been lost and due to the later islamic influence in Persia (today's Iran) few decks have survived. However, we do know that the game utilized a deck of either 20 or 25 un-suited cards that consisted of 5 court cards, appearing in multiples of 4 (as pictured here) or 5, to make up a full deck. The cards were hand painted and lacquered.

The highest card is the "Âs" or "Shîr va Khurshíd" (ace) represented by a lion and sun, which also gives the the game its name. The other cards, in descending order by value are: "Padishah" (king) aka "Shâh" or "Pishâ", "Bibi (queen), "Sarbâs" (soldier), and "Lakkat" (dancer). Sometimes, less often, the lowest card is represented by a hunter, called "Kouli".

These cards were no indexed, however, the portraits were framed in different colors which made it easier to identify the cards while held in a fanned fashion.

Also check our History of Playing Cards page.