Entertainment for every level
Play Hokm with our own Iranian deck, chess, Mench and more; read about games, music, film, books and food; explore the entertainment reference — family-friendly by design.
Games to play together
Classic Iranian favourites in 3D — free, with no sign-up, no ads and no betting.
Hokm · حکم
Iran's favourite card game, with ZIBADIS's own Iranian deck: you and a computer partner against two computer players.
Chess · شطرنج
The game that took shape in ancient Persia as chatrang. Play the computer at three levels, or a friend on the same device.
Maze · ماز
A new 3D maze every time, in three sizes. Guide the ball from the start to the golden goal as fast as you can.
Dooz · دوز
Tic-tac-toe in 3D. Beat the easy computer, try to draw the unbeatable one, or play a friend on the same device.
Mench · منچ
The family race game: roll the die, bring your four pieces round the board and home before everyone else.
Snakes & Ladders · مارپله
Climb the ladders, slide down the snakes, and be first to square 100. A game of pure luck for all ages.
For friends in the same room
Secret City · راز شهر
A conversation game for friends in the same room: find the masked group hidden among the citizens before they take over the city.
Secret Word · کلمهی مخفی
Everyone gets the same secret word except the outsider. Talk about it cleverly enough to prove you know it — without giving it away.
Entertainment articles
How to play Hokm, Iran's favourite card game
The rules of Hokm step by step — teams, the hakem, choosing the trump, following suit, winning tricks and kot — with tips for new players.
From chatrang to chess: the Persian chapter of the game
How chess grew from Indian chaturanga to Persian chatrang and Arabic shatranj, the Persian words it still uses — shah, check and mate — and its trip west.
Persian classical music: the radif and the dastgah system
How Persian classical music is organised — the radif, the seven dastgahs and five avaz — and how musicians improvise within them.
Five Persian classics worth knowing
Five landmarks of Persian literature: Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, Nezami's Khamseh, Saadi's Golestan and Bustan, Rumi's Masnavi and the Divan of Hafez.
Persian steamed rice with tahdig
How to cook fluffy Persian chelow rice with a golden tahdig crust: rinsing, soaking, parboiling, steaming (dam) and a touch of saffron.
How 3D games work in your browser
The basic ideas behind 3D games — meshes, materials, lights, cameras and frames per second — and how the games on this site run with WebGL and three.js.
Seven domains of entertainment
Music
Styles, ensembles and moods
Food
World cuisines, ingredients and methods
Travel
Destinations, attractions and parks
Cinema
Genre, visual style and narrative
Books
Genres, writing styles and adaptations
Activities
By space, time, group size and energy
Sports
Disciplines, intensity and equipment
How they connect
The relations between the domains.
Entertainment news
Film, games, books and entertainment technology — recent headlines from approved sources, each linking to the original.
Entertain — the ZIBADIS entertainment app
Make playlists, recipes, trip plans and recommendations from the reference here.