Armenian Travel Backgammon Set - Hayastan on Plain Wood

Armenian Travel Backgammon Set - Hayastan on Plain Wood, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The word for Armenia in Armenia's own letters — ՀԱՕԱՍՏԱՆ, Hayastan — on a small plaque at the foot of a plain dark cover, with the two snow caps of Ararat, a slender poplar, a bird and a cloud drawn above it in a few pale marks, and a fine lattice tucked into the corners. Nothing else. Master Hrachya Ohanyan kept the outline classic and square and let the grain of the wood do the talking. A handmade Armenian travel backgammon set from the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, at 15.7″ / 40 cm — the size that fits a rucksack, a glovebox and the corner of a café table.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and a 15.7″ / 40 cm wooden backgammon board opens up: a pale flower ornament at the heart of each dark half, light points tipped with small drops, and the grain showing through the stain. Thirty-two checkers in light and dark wood, a dice set and the black carrying bag come with it. This is the portable backgammon set for the picnic, the train, the beach and the dorm — small enough to forget in the bag, quick enough to open the moment someone says "one game".

Specifications

• Size open: 40 × 40 cm / 15.7″ × 15.7″
• Size folded: 40 × 20 cm / 15.7″ × 7.9″
• Material: plywood, stained dark around the pale pattern and varnished
• Motif: Mount Ararat with a poplar, a bird, a cloud and the word Hayastan (Armenia) in Armenian letters, in small pale marks on a plain cover; lattice corners, two-tone flower ornaments inside
• Outline: classic, with 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
• Dice set
• Black carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• Travel size, real board: 15.7″ / 40 cm folds to 15.7″ × 7.9″ — it goes where you go, and it still plays like a proper nardi board.
• It says Hayastan: the country's name in its own alphabet, for the family that reads it without thinking.
• Ready for the table: checkers in light and dark wood, dice and a bag — open it and play.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How big is it? Open, the board is 15.7″ / 40 cm square — the travel size, two steps below the full 60 cm board. Closed, it is 15.7″ × 7.9″ / 40 × 20 cm and slips into a rucksack or a weekend bag.

Is the pattern printed? No. The peaks, the lettering, the corner lattice and the flower ornaments inside are worked into the surface of the wood and sealed under varnish — the pale marks and the dark ground are both the board itself, not a sticker or a transfer, and they will not peel or fade.

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 bag.

Hayastan

Armenians do not call their country Armenia. They call it Hayastan — the land of Hayk, the legendary archer who founded the nation at the foot of Ararat — and the word on this board is written the way it has been written since Mesrop Mashtots invented the alphabet in 405. Put it beside the two peaks and a poplar, and a small nardi board becomes a small piece of home — wherever the game is played.

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 Travels Well

For the student flying out in September, the cousin who lives out of a suitcase or the friend who plays nardi on every holiday, an Armenian travel backgammon set with Hayastan on the cover is the backgammon gift set that fits in the hand luggage. We send it at Christmas, before the summer and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and taken along.