Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Gandzasar and Tatik Papik in Dark Wood

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Gandzasar and Tatik Papik in Dark Wood, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Dark wood, deep relief, and Artsakh on both sides. On one cover the old couple of "We Are Our Mountains" — Tatik and Papik — rise out of a round rope-ringed frame, the grandmother's headscarf and the grandfather's brow cut so deep they throw their own shadow. On the other, inside a lobed cartouche, Gandzasar Monastery sits in its landscape: the pointed dome and the belfry, the walled court, the hills of Martakert rolling away behind. Master Hrachya Ohanyan surrounded each scene with a field of carved lattice, ran a rope-and-bead moulding round every edge and stained the beech a deep dark brown. A handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of wood, 23.6″ / 60 cm, made for the room where the light is low and the stories are long.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens on pale points tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes, a carved wheel ornament in a scrolled ring at the heart of each half, and the dark grain running underneath 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 evenings when someone says "one more game" and means it.

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, stained dark brown and varnished
• Motif: two-sided — the "We Are Our Mountains" monument (Tatik and Papik) in a round rope-ringed frame on one cover, Gandzasar Monastery in its hill landscape inside a lobed cartouche on the other; carved lattice ground, rope-and-bead borders; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: classic, with carved rope-and-bead 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

• Two fronts, no back: Tatik and Papik on one cover, Gandzasar on the other, both cut by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — turn it whichever way the room likes, and no two boards come out the same.
• Deep relief in dark wood: the monument's block faces, the monastery's dome and the hills behind it stand well off the ground, and the dark stain makes every edge read from across the room.
• 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 carving real? Yes. Both scenes, the lattice, the rope-and-bead edges and the wheel ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed. The dark colour is a stain in the wood under the varnish.

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.

Two Pictures of Artsakh

Ask an Armenian to draw Artsakh and you will get one of two things: the two heads, or the church. The heads are "We Are Our Mountains", raised above Stepanakert in 1967 by Sargis Baghdasaryan — an old man and an old woman of the Artsakh villages, cut in tuff, with no bodies, because the mountains are their bodies. The church is Gandzasar, "treasure mountain", finished in 1238 by the princes of Khachen above the village of Vank, its dome drum carved with saints and inscriptions and its walls set with khachkars. This board carries both, one on each cover, so that whichever way it lies closed on the table, Artsakh is looking up.

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 birthday in the diaspora, a grandmother from Shushi or the friend who keeps a photo of the two heads on the fridge, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with Tatik and Papik and Gandzasar on its two sides is the backgammon gift set that needs no explaining. We send it at Christmas, on Father's Day and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.