Armenian Backgammon Set - Eternity Sign in Dark Wood, Ararat Outline

Armenian Backgammon Set - Eternity Sign in Dark Wood, Ararat Outline, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The mountain on the edge, the sign at the heart. The top of this board rises into the two peaks of Mount Ararat, hewn along the edge in rough open strokes and left pale against the dark stain, so the skyline every Armenian knows stands up from the cover the moment the board is closed. Below it, at the centre, a smooth raised disc sits inside a round rope-ringed frame, and across it master Hrachya Ohanyan cut the Armenian eternity sign in fine clean lines — the curved blades turning out from the middle, each one a groove that catches the light as the board moves. A field of fine carved lattice fills the cover between lobed panels inside a beaded border, the sides swing out in scallops, and the whole board is stained a deep walnut brown. A handmade Armenian backgammon set from a single piece of beech at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — the mountain and the sign, together, in dark wood.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm wooden backgammon board opens on a carved wheel ornament in a scrolled ring at the heart of each half, pale points tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes and bronze hinges 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 living room that already has Ararat on the wall, the father-in-law who plays for keeps and the family far from Yerevan that wants the mountain back on the table.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, made from one piece, stained deep walnut brown and varnished
• Motif: the Armenian eternity sign (arevakhach) cut in fine lines into a smooth raised disc inside a round rope-ringed frame; the two peaks of Mount Ararat hewn along the top edge; carved lattice field, lobed panels, beaded border; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: Mount Ararat — the top edge rises into the two peaks, scalloped sides, carved stepped rims
• 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

• Ararat you can hold: the mountain crest is hewn along the top edge in rough strokes and left pale against the dark stain — closed on a shelf, the board reads as a skyline before it reads as a game.
• Eternity drawn, not dug: the sign is cut in fine lines into a smooth raised disc in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, so it reads by line and light — clean and quiet under the dark finish, and no two boards come out the same.
• 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, peaks up.

Is the eternity sign carved? Yes — but differently from the rest. The sign is cut in fine lines into a smooth raised disc, so it reads by line and light rather than depth. The Ararat crest, the lattice field, the rope and beaded borders and the wheel ornaments inside are carved by hand in relief. 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 Mountain and the Sign

Two things every Armenian house has somewhere. The first is Ararat — on the coat of arms, on the wall of the kitchen, in the window of every clear Yerevan morning, and in a country it no longer stands in. The second is the eternity sign — arevakhach, the sun-cross — turning on Bronze Age tombs, on the khachkars of the middle ages and on the gable of every village church, meaning what a wheel means: life going round, nothing ending. Master Ohanyan puts them together here: the mountain that does not move along the top edge, and the sign that never stops at the centre, cut in line the way it was cut into the earliest stones. On a nardi board, in dark wood, it is the whole story on one lid.

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 new home, a father who keeps a picture of Ararat above the desk or the friend who has been away too long, a handmade Armenian backgammon set with the mountain on its edge and the eternity sign on its cover is the backgammon gift set that says the two things every Armenian house says. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.