Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Armenian Alphabet, Medium

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Armenian Alphabet, Medium, by Hrachya Ohanyan

All thirty-six letters, the way Mesrop Mashtots drew them. The whole cover of this board is the Armenian alphabet carved in relief — Ա to Ք, each letter standing off the dark ground with the curling tails and bird-like flourishes of the old manuscript hands, arranged in rows like a page from the Matenadaran. Around them master Hrachya Ohanyan set a pale carved border of palmettes and flowers, kept the outline classic and square, and stained the beech a deep brown so the letters catch the light. A handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of wood, at 19.6″ / 50 cm — the size that fits the coffee table as easily as the dining table — with the country's oldest invention on the lid.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and a 19.6″ / 50 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens up: a parchment scroll with a quill laid across it at the heart of each half, in pale wood on dark, and points tipped not with the usual drops but with carved ears of wheat. A small metal maker's plaque sits on the centre bar. 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 teacher, the translator and the family that still makes the children recite the aybuben before dessert.

Specifications

• Size open: 50 × 50 cm / 19.6″ × 19.6″
• Size folded: 50 × 25 cm / 19.6″ × 9.8″
• Material: beech wood, carved from one piece, stained dark and varnished
• Motif: the 36 letters of the Armenian alphabet carved in relief across the cover in the ornamental manuscript style; pale carved palmette border; scroll-and-quill panels and wheat-ear points inside
• Outline: classic, with carved 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

• Thirty-six letters, carved by hand: every tail and flourish is cut in relief in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — run a finger along a row and you can read it with your eyes closed, and no two boards come out the same.
• A quill inside: the scroll-and-pen panels and the wheat-ear points carry the theme through — the board is a page, front and back.
• Ready for the table: 19.6″ / 50 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 19.6″ / 50 cm square — one step below the full 60 cm size, and the right choice for a smaller table. Closed, it is 19.6″ × 9.8″ / 50 × 25 cm and stands on its own edge.

Is the carving real? Yes. The letters, the palmette border, the stepped edges and the wheat-ear points inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed — the letters stand off the ground and you feel every stroke. 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.

The Alphabet

In 405 the monk Mesrop Mashtots gave Armenians thirty-six letters of their own, and within a generation the Bible, the Greek philosophers and the first Armenian histories were being copied out in them. The alphabet has outlasted every empire that ruled the country since; it is carved on the wall at Oshakan where Mashtots is buried, taught in the first week of school, and kept on a shelf in the Matenadaran in some twenty thousand manuscripts. On a nardi board it is the quietest possible way to say who is playing — and the best possible excuse to teach the grandchildren a letter a game.

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 teacher's retirement, a first day at Armenian school, a writer's birthday or the grandparents who taught everyone their letters, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with the alphabet on the cover is the backgammon gift set that teaches while it plays. We send it at Christmas, on Translators' Day and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.