Via Egnatia board game

We are nearing the completion of a unique educational project called ‘Caravan Via Egnatia’. It is a beautifully executed board game that depicts a journey along the Via Egnatia around the year 1800.

The players are travelling along the Via Egnatia as for example a merchant, a soldier, a musician, a monk or a shepherd in the era before today’s nation states. On the way to Istanbul they meet fellow travelers of all sorts and creeds speaking different languages. They solve problems together, exchange knowledge and help each other, they even can invest resources in a caravan to travel together or go on a special mission individually. In this playful way they get to know their neighbours and their common history better. The game is part of a Via Egnatia-project on schools, with information for the teachers. It will be played in groups of 6 players in the classroom.

Although primarily intended for use at schools, the game is also it is also suitable for playing in clubs or even at home. The game is now being produced in three languages: Macedonian, Albanian and English. In May and June 2024 the game will be presented and disseminated in selected schools in North Macedonia and the Netherlands. In cooperation with specialized organizations in the other Via Egnatia countries we will expand the project all along the Via Egnatia from Albania to Türkiye.

The next step will be to broaden the use of the game by organizing inter-regional school and club tournaments, both physically and via the Internet.

Testing the prototype on a school in North Macedonia