Luxury Anush and Saro Walnut Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline

Luxury Anush and Saro Walnut Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

Anush stands by the willow, Saro plays his pipe on the rock, two rams butt heads — Tumanyan's poem carved into walnut under Ararat's peaks. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ luxury wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, Ararat outline. Handmade in walnut and hornbeam, 32 checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded case.

This is the board for the family that named a daughter Anush, the reader who knows the poem by heart, and the player who wants the story in walnut rather than on a shelf. Saro sits on his rock with the pipe raised; Anush stands with her hands folded, her braid over her shoulder, the willow's branches falling behind her; two curled-horn rams lock heads in the foreground with the rest of the flock behind, and the mountains climb to the snow-capped rim. Acanthus scrolls and lattice frame the scene.

Open, it is walnut and hornbeam: pale inlaid points with drop tips, a petal wheel on a pale disc in a scrolled ring on each half, scrolled ends to the field and a brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark. For the engagement, the Armenian school's teacher, and the player who wants Tumanyan on the lid and Ararat on the rim.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: walnut wood, natural colour, polished; hornbeam inlay inside
• Carving: a scene from Hovhannes Tumanyan's poem Anush — Anush standing by the willow with her hands folded, Saro the shepherd piping on his rock, two rams locking horns with the flock behind, trees and mountains — in deep relief on the front cover, in a frame of acanthus scrolls and lattice panels; Mount Ararat's twin peaks carved into the top rim, snow caps left pale; carved basket weave and acanthus scrolls on the back; pale hornbeam points and petal-wheel discs inlaid inside
• Outline: Ararat — the twin peaks of the mountain carved into the top edge of the board, scrolled sides below
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Hand-carved backgammon board
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Figures you can hold: Saro, Anush and the rams stand off the ground in deep relief, and the willow's hanging branches are cut strand by strand, so the scene throws its own shadows as the light moves.
• One wood for the lid, one for the field: the whole cover is the walnut's own colour and the only contrast is real hornbeam set into the field inside — no paint, no stain, two woods ageing together.
• Make it theirs: add a name or a date at checkout to mark a birthday, a retirement or years of games together.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How does this differ from the other Anush board? Same poem, a different moment. Here Anush stands by the willow with her hands folded and Saro plays to her from his rock; on the other board she is walking with her water jug and the flock is larger. Both are carved in deep relief from walnut under the peaks of Ararat, with hornbeam inlaid inside; nothing is printed or applied.

What about shipping and returns? Shipping is free to the US, Canada and Europe, always tracked; other countries pay a flat $100 (Brazil, Chile and New Zealand $200). Every set is covered by our 30-day returns policy.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Wipe with a dry, soft cloth and store it closed in its carrying case.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine woodcraft in 1985 and founded his workshop in Yerevan in 2010. This board belongs to his collection of wooden backgammon sets, each one made by hand by the craftspeople of that workshop. Read Hrachya Ohanyan's story or explore the full backgammon collection.

Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.