Luxury Anush Walnut Backgammon Set with Hornbeam Inlay, Ararat Outline

Luxury Anush Walnut Backgammon Set with Hornbeam Inlay, Ararat Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

Tumanyan's Anush carved into walnut — the girl with her water jug, the shepherd piping, two rams locking horns, a willow — under Ararat's peaks, with pale hornbeam let into the walnut inside. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ luxury wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, Ararat outline, one-sided. Handmade in walnut and hornbeam, 32 checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded case.

This is the board for the Armenian literature lover, the wedding present that has to mean something, and the player who wants a poem on the lid. The scene is Tumanyan's: Anush comes with the jug on her shoulder, Saro sits on his rock with the pipe at his lips, the flock crowds the foreground with two rams head to head, a willow trails its branches to the ground and the mountains rise behind to the snow-capped rim. Acanthus scrolls and lattice panels frame it, cut from the same walnut.

Inside, the walnut is left natural and the hornbeam does the contrast — every point and the two petal-wheel discs are pale hornbeam inlaid (incrusted) into the walnut, with carved acanthus scrolls at the ends and a brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark on the bar. For the Yerevan flat with the bookshelf, the diaspora wedding, and the player who wants the poem on the lid and the mountain as the rim.

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; hornbeam incrustation (inlay) inside
• Carving: a scene from Hovhannes Tumanyan's poem Anush — Anush with her water jug, Saro the shepherd piping on a rock, the flock with two rams locking horns, a willow, mountains behind — in deep relief on the front cover, in a frame of acanthus scrolls and lattice panels; Mount Ararat's twin peaks carved into the top rim, snow caps left pale; carved basket weave and acanthus scrolls on the back (one-sided — no second scene); pale hornbeam points and petal-wheel discs inlaid inside, acanthus scrolls carved at the ends of the field
• Outline: Ararat — the twin peaks of the mountain carved into the top edge of the board, scrolled sides below
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Hand-carved walnut backgammon board with hornbeam inlay
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• A whole poem on one lid: Anush, Saro, the flock, the willow and the mountains are all there, carved in deep relief so the figures stand off the ground and the willow's branches hang free.
• Two woods, no stain: the scene is the walnut's own colour and the points and discs inside are pale hornbeam let into it, so nothing is painted and both grains deepen with the years.
• 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 scene on the cover? A moment from Hovhannes Tumanyan's poem Anush, the best-loved love story in Armenian verse: Anush with her water jug, the shepherd Saro playing his pipe, his flock around him under the willow. It is carved in deep relief from the walnut — not applied, not printed — and the rim above it is cut into the peaks of Ararat. The pale wood inside is hornbeam inlaid into the walnut.

Is it carved on both sides? No — this is the one-sided Anush board: the scene is on the front cover only, and the back carries a chequerboard of carved basket-weave squares between acanthus scrolls. The hornbeam incrustation is inside, where the points and the petal-wheel discs are let into the walnut. The maker also makes an Anush and Saro board and one with eternity-sign checkers; this is the one with the girl carrying her jug.

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.