
- BGG rank
- BGG #757
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Yellow & Yangtze
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2018

Rules assistance for Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat is an expansion for Tigris & Euphrates released in 2009 for 2–4 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Reiner Knizia and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence.
Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat is an expansion/variant for Tigris & Euphrates that first appeared in the June 2009 (3/09) issue of Spielbox magazine. Shaped like a cross, the ziggurat is a special monument that extends across five spaces of the board. The monument can be built if a player has a cross of five civilization tokens of the same color. Discard those five tokens and replace them using the ziggurat markers. Place a ziggurat tower upon the middle tile. (Note, the tower is not part of this extension. Please use any other meeple from any other game.) The five ziggurat markers cannot be destroyed. All Tigris & Euphrates rules regarding monuments apply to the ziggurat monument as well. If your king is inside the kingdom of the ziggurat, you get one victory point in a color of your choice at the end of your turn. Starting with the 2008 edition of Tigris & Euphrates from Mayfair Games, the ziggurat has been included in the base game, along with a double-sided game board.
Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat is 90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat belongs to these categories: Territory Building, Ancient, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat are: Reiner Knizia. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Euphrat & Tigris: Die Zikkurat as an expansion for Tigris & Euphrates. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Tigris & Euphrates to use it. Check that your edition of Tigris & Euphrates is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.