Perched on the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula is the Sultanate of Oman. Being a former maritime empire and now one of the most rapidly developing countries in the world, Oman possesses both the historic trade networks typically linked to the import of cultural products (such as games) and a modern globalised economy helping fuel the expansion of the tabletop hobby.
One exemplar of Oman’s early assimilation of ludic ideas is the game Al Hawalees (often known as Hawalis.) Hawalis is a mancala-style game likely originating in Zanzibar, an archipelago off the eastern coast of Africa. After 1698 when Zanzibar came under Omani governance, a significant African population reached Oman (most likely due to the slave trade) and the game increased in popularity. Hawalis is still played today, but remains somewhat of an oddity due the game’s use of four rows over the more typical two seen in other Arab countries. This gives further evidence to the game’s African origins, where a greater diversity exists in the continent’s mancala games.