Playing cards made their way to Europe from the East. They appeared first in France and then in Spain. The reason for the belief that they appeared first in Italy is that the design on the cards closely resembles the Mamaluke design. The pack of cards consisted of 52 cards with suits of swords, polo sticks, cups and coins. Cards with the numbers one through ten and court cards that included the King (Malik), Deputy King (Naib Malik), and Second Deputy (thain naib).
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06
Dec
2025

