The History of Seega
A game from Egypt, described in 1836: place your stones two at a time, then trap the enemy between two of your own.
From Egypt
Seega is a strategy game that comes from Egypt. It is known under several spellings, among them Seejeh, Seeza, Cheza, Siga and Sidjah, and it is related to games such as Polis.
Edward William Lane
In 1836 the English scholar Edward William Lane described the game in his book on the manners and customs of the modern Egyptians. He knew three boards: the 5x5 board (khamsáwee seega), the 7x7 board (seb'áwee) and the 9x9 board (tisáwee). In his account the pieces started from a fixed position instead of being placed by the players.
Near Mount Sinai
In 1890 H. Carrington Bolton reported that the game was played near Mount Sinai; the pieces were called kelb.
On PaperGames
PaperGames plays the 5x5 game with 12 stones each: first placing, two stones per turn, then moving and capturing by enclosure. The phase is always shown under the board.