Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Armenian Alphabet in Dark Wood, Medium

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

The alphabet, cut into honey-dark wood. All thirty-six letters of the Armenian alphabet cover the lid of this board, carved in relief in the same warm brown as the ground, so it is the shadow along every stroke that draws them for you — the hooked tails, the bird-like curls of the old manuscript hands, row under row like a page left open. Master Hrachya Ohanyan framed them in a pale carved border of palmettes and flowers, kept the outline classic and square, and finished the beech in a deep amber stain under a clear varnish. A handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of wood, 19.6″ / 50 cm across — big enough for a proper game, small enough to live on the shelf where your guests will see it first.

Open the cast-bronze clasps and the 19.6″ / 50 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board keeps the theme going inside: a parchment scroll with a quill laid across it in pale wood at the heart of each half, points that end in carved ears of wheat rather than plain drops, and a small metal maker's plaque 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 family that argues about spelling as happily as it argues about dice.

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 a warm dark brown and varnished
• Motif: the 36 letters of the Armenian alphabet carved in relief across the cover in the ornamental manuscript style, tone-on-tone; 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

• Letters you read with your fingers: every one of the 36 letters is cut in relief by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — with the tone-on-tone finish the light does the reading, and no two boards come out the same.
• The page continues inside: scroll-and-quill panels and wheat-ear points turn each half of the board into a manuscript page of its own.
• 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 warm dark colour is a stain in the wood under the varnish — the letters are the same wood as the ground, raised, not painted on.

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

Mesrop Mashtots finished the alphabet in 405, and the first sentence ever written in it was a line from Proverbs: to know wisdom and instruction. Sixteen centuries later the same thirty-six letters are on every street sign in Yerevan, on the church wall at Oshakan where Mashtots is buried, and on the field of giant stone letters at the foot of Aragats where families stop to find their initials. Armenians treat the alphabet as something they own together — and carving it on a nardi board puts it where the family actually gathers. Every game is a small lesson, and nobody minds.

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 graduation, a first year at Armenian school, a godparent, or the uncle who taught everyone the letters in the wrong order, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with the alphabet on the cover is the backgammon gift set with a lesson built in. We send it at Christmas, on Translators' Day in October and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.