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Hiashatar Photos. Photos of some hiashatar sets from Mongolia.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Fri, Feb 5, 2016 11:50 PM UTC:
A propos the approaching lunar new year celebrations, do the "queens" of this set represent fire dog and tiger from the Mongolian zodiac?  If yes, are they alternates of the usual iconography to commemorate significant year(s) for the carver or owner, or is just that the red of the base has migrated to the whole lion dog to become more flashy?  Shatar and hiashatar's rich symbolism seem to integrate so well into the patterns of a game adopted in Mongolian culture in the middle ages.  The idea of the opposition of the players expressed in chromatic, thematic, and even cosmic detail is impressive.