About Gebeta

An ancient game

Gebeta belongs to the mancala family of sowing games. Some of the oldest known mancala boards are rock cuts and pottery fragments from Aksumite sites such as Matara and Yeha, dated to around the 6th–7th centuries.

Many names

In Amharic the game is called ገበጣ (gebeta). In Tigray and Eritrea a four-row form is known as ሰለስ (selus). Related games are played across the Horn of Africa and the wider continent.

Played together

Gebeta is played under trees, in markets and at home — often on pits scooped into the ground, with pebbles or seeds. Onlookers join in with advice, teasing and laughter.

Words of the game

• ገበጣ (gebeta) — the game and its board
• ጠጠር (t'et'er) — the pebbles or seeds
• ጉድጓድ (gudgwad) — a pit
• ወቀር (weqer) — a house of four seeds
• በላ (bela, "ate") — to capture