Tap-urdy is a mancala game, which is played in Turkmenistan. It was first described in 1977 by Assia Popova (a Bulgarian ethnologue) and André Deledicq (a French mathematician). The board is dug into the ground, which is a common practice among pastoral people in Asia and Africa. The counters are made from sheep feces. Tap-urdy seems to be influenced by Indian mancala games.