Luxury Artsakh Monument Walnut Backgammon Set with Basket Weave

Luxury Artsakh Monument Walnut Backgammon Set with Basket Weave by Hrachya Ohanyan

The Artsakh monument — the grandmother and grandfather of We Are Our Mountains — carved in relief on a smooth walnut disc between panels of basket weave. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ luxury wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline. Handmade in walnut, with 32 checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded case.

This is the board for the family from Stepanakert, Shushi or Hadrut, the diaspora club with a photograph of the monument on the wall, and the player who wants it in walnut. The two heads rise from the ground the way they do in stone — her pointed headscarf, his bearded face, the joints between the blocks all cut — on a disc left smooth so nothing competes with them. Either side, carved basket weave in a lobed cartouche; beyond that, chip-carved diamond lattice to the square corners, rope-and-bead borders.

Inside it is plain walnut and line work: cross-hatched points with fleur-de-lys tips, a petal wheel in a scrolled ring on each half, a cast hinge on the bar, and more basket weave and lattice on the back. For the wedding in Glendale, the veteran's sixtieth, and the player who wants the two of them keeping watch over the table.

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
• Carving: the We Are Our Mountains monument of Artsakh — grandmother and grandfather in block courses — in relief on a smooth disc inside a rope-and-bead ring; carved basket weave panels in lobed cartouches either side; chip-carved diamond lattice on the outer fields; rope-and-bead borders; basket weave and lattice on the back; petal wheels in scrolled rings and cross-hatched points in line work inside
• Outline: Classic — straight edges and square corners
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and 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

• The monument itself: grandmother and grandfather rise from the disc block by block in relief, on smooth walnut with nothing else on it, so the two faces carry the lid.
• Basket weave, cut not stamped: the panels either side are carved strand over strand and the lattice beyond them is chip-carved, so the whole cover is texture under the hand.
• 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

What is the monument on the cover? We Are Our Mountains — the grandmother and grandfather carved from tuff above Stepanakert in 1967, known to every Armenian as Tatik and Papik. Here they are cut in relief into the walnut on a disc left smooth, with carved basket weave and chip-carved lattice around them. The board is finished and polished; 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.