Where did playing cards come from?

Playing cards first appeared in Europe in the 1370s, probably in Italy or Spain and certainly as imports or possessions of merchants from the Islamic Mamlūk dynasty centred in Egypt. Like their originals, the first European cards were hand-painted, making them luxury goods for the rich.

What was the first card game invented?

9th century China has the first historical mention of a card game, called the "leaf game". You might also wonder how far back tile games go, since tiles are just a non-paper form of a card. That would go back about another century, still in China.

Which came first tarot or playing cards?

According to Tarot historian Tom Tadfor Little, traditional playing cards were first seen in Europe in 1375, having been brought over from the Islamic societies where they had been used for centuries before that. These cards were not, however, Tarot cards.

Why are there 52 cards in a deck of playing cards?

The four suits represent the four seasons, while the 52 cards represent the 52 weeks in a year. The thirteen cards per suit represent the thirteen lunar cycles. That being said, with the broad range of suits, deck sizes, face cards and games all over the world, playing cards will probably continue to evolve and grow.