Did you know that congklak is one of the oldest board games in the world?

Internationally, congklak family of games is known as mancala.

Archeologists have found the oldest kind of mancala rows of holes appearing at archaeological sites across Africa, the Middle East and Southern Asia dating back to 3’000 to 1’000BC.

That makes congklak about 5’000 years old!

As congklak spread around the world, there are many variations to the number of holes and the rules of the game.

Common international mancala has two-rows of 6 holes. Our Indonesian congklak typically has 7 holes. African “Bao” mancala has four rows of 8 holes!

Our congklak is a 9-holed board from Solo and we play them with jali-jali seeds harvested from the farm.

Playing congklak strengthens math and critical thinking skills. But more than that, playing congklak is fun and a great way to connect with our family and friends!