Luxury Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Ararat in the Vineyard

Luxury Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Ararat in the Vineyard, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Ararat seen from the vineyard: inside a round beaded frame the two snow peaks rise over a poplar and a furrowed road, with the Armenian eternity sign turning beside them — and around the frame the whole cover is carved into a grapevine, deep relief on a stippled ground, every bunch of grapes a cluster of round beads, every leaf and tendril cut so cleanly it throws its own shadow. Master Hrachya Ohanyan shaped the board in the curved, stepped contour outline that is the workshop's signature and ran a beaded border around the edge. A luxury Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech — the mountain, the vine and the sign of eternity on one lid.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and a full 23.6″ / 60 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens up: a carved flower ornament at the heart of each half, pale points tipped with small carved drops, a small metal maker's plaque on the centre bar, and the deep grain of the board running through it all. Thirty-two checkers in light and dark wood, a dice set and the branded carrying case come with it. This is the handmade backgammon board for the head of the table — the nardi set that gets brought out for the guests who matter and stays out for the family who play.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, carved from one piece and varnished
• Motif: Mount Ararat with a poplar, a furrowed road and the eternity sign, carved in relief inside a round beaded frame; grapevines with grape bunches, leaves and tendrils in deep relief on a stippled ground; beaded border, carved flower ornaments inside
• Outline: signature contour silhouette with carved, stepped edges
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Handmade in Armenia by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Backgammon board with bronze hinges and clasps
• 32 checkers made from beech and walnut wood, with velvet bases
• Dice set
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• A vineyard carved in the round: the grapes, leaves and tendrils stand off the stippled ground in real depth — cut in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, and no two boards come out the same.
• Three Armenian signs, one frame: Ararat, the poplar and the eternity sign inside the circle, the vine all around it — the whole country on a lid.
• The contour outline: the curved, stepped silhouette means you recognise one of these boards from across the room, closed or open.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How big is it? Open, the board is 23.6″ / 60 cm square — the standard full size for a living-room table. Closed, it is 23.6″ × 11.8″ / 60 × 30 cm and stands on its own edge.

Is the carving real? Yes. The mountain, the vines, the grapes, the stippled ground and the flower ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed — run a finger over a grape bunch and you feel every bead.

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.

Can I add a name or a date? Yes — choose the engraving option on this page and tell us the text. A name or a date turns it into a personalized backgammon set, and it is the detail people remember years later.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sun and away from radiators, wipe with a dry soft cloth, and store it closed in the case.

Ararat and the Vine

Ararat rises on the far side of the border, in full view of Yerevan and out of reach — the shape the whole country measures itself against. The vine is the older story: Armenians have been making wine for six thousand years, the world's oldest winery was found in a cave in Areni, and the eternity sign that turns beside the mountain has stood for life without end on khachkars and church walls since the Middle Ages. Carved together on a nardi board, they turn the family game into a small piece of home — wherever the family happens to be.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

In 1985, National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine wood craft, introducing a new approach to the age-old traditions of woodworking. After many years of dedication, the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop was established in 2010. Every board passes through 14 stages of production, with 14 separate craftsmen leaving their mark before it reaches its finished form — a piece of wood artistry admired both in Armenia and around the world. Read the story of master Hrachya Ohanyan or explore the full Hrachya Ohanyan backgammon collection.

A Gift That Lasts Generations

For a wedding, a 50th birthday, a retirement or the parents who taught everyone to play, a hand-carved luxury Armenian backgammon set with Ararat in the vineyard on the cover is the backgammon gift set that ends the search. We send it at Christmas, on Father's Day and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.