Luxury Armenian Backgammon Set - Artsakh Carpet

Luxury Armenian Backgammon Set - Artsakh Carpet, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Lay this board on the table and it reads like a rug folded into wood. Three stepped diamonds with hooked edges run across the cover — the motif the weavers of Artsakh have knotted for centuries — inside band after band of small squares and lozenges, the way a real carpet builds its borders. The pattern is worked into the surface in light and dark wood so finely that from a step away you would swear it was woven. A luxury Armenian backgammon set with a carpet on its lid, made from a single piece of wood by National Master Hrachya Ohanyan.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the carpet keeps going: a full 23.6″ / 60 cm handmade backgammon board with a hooked-diamond ornament at the heart of each half and scallop-edged points running to the sides. Thirty-two checkers in light and dark wood, a dice set and the branded carrying case come with it. This is the wooden backgammon board for the house where the carpets are older than the furniture — and where nardi is what the carpets have been listening to all along.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, made from one piece and varnished
• Motif: Artsakh carpet pattern — three stepped diamonds with hooked borders, bands of squares and lozenges; carpet 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, with velvet bases
• Dice set
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• A carpet in wood: every diamond, hook and border square is worked into the surface by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — no two boards come out the same.
• Pattern on both faces and inside: the carpet borders wrap the whole board, and the ornaments inside repeat the motif, so it looks finished from any angle on a shelf or table.
• Ready for the table: full-size 23.6″ / 60 cm board, checkers in light and dark wood, dice and a carrying case — open it and play.

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 pattern printed? No. The carpet pattern is cut into the wood by hand and finished in two tones, not printed — run a finger across the diamonds and you feel every outline.

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.

The Carpets of Artsakh

The mountain villages of Artsakh have woven carpets for as long as anyone has kept records — bold, geometric rugs whose stepped diamonds, hooks and cross patterns were never just decoration. Weavers hid meaning in them: protection, family, the cross of the khachkar, a wish for the house they were made for. Those same motifs are worked into this board, so the game played on it carries the pattern of a whole tradition. On a nardi board, an old carpet has finally found something to do on a Saturday night.

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 the family whose carpets came with them from Artsakh, for a new home that needs its first piece of the old one, or for the grandmother who taught everyone to play — a handmade Armenian backgammon set with a carpet on the cover is the backgammon gift set that carries the pattern forward. We send it at Christmas, on Father's Day and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.