This post was originally published on Arab News - Middle East
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Baghdad: In a Baghdad arena, a crowd cheers to the rhythm of drums, not for a football match but for a fiery centuries-old game enjoyed by Iraqis during Ramadan called “mheibes.”
“It’s a heritage game, the game of our ancestors, which unites all Iraqis,” said Jassem Al-Aswad, a longtime mheibes champion in his early seventies and now president of the game’s national federation.
The game involves members of one team hiding a ring — “mehbis” in Arabic — and the captain of the opposing team trying to guess who has it in the palm of his hand.