Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Eternity Whirl

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Eternity Whirl, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Eternity, cut deep and set square. This is the classic straight-edged board, and that is the point of it: nothing pulls the eye away from the sign. At the centre of the cover, in a dished round frame ringed with rope and beads, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved the Armenian eternity sign in deep relief — a whirl of scooped, rounded blades spinning out from the middle, each one catching the light on its crest and dropping it in the hollow beside, so the wheel seems to turn as you walk past. Around the frame runs a field of fine carved lattice between lobed panels inside a beaded border, the rims are stepped, and the whole board is stained a warm honey brown. A handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — the oldest Armenian symbol, the plainest shape, and all of the carving.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm hand-carved 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 family that wants the sign rather than a silhouette, the bookshelf where a square board stands like a book, and the uncle who has played nardi every Sunday for forty years.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, carved from one piece, stained honey brown and varnished
• Motif: the Armenian eternity sign (arevakhach) carved in deep relief as a whirl of scooped blades inside a dished round frame ringed with rope and beads; carved lattice field, lobed panels, beaded border; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys 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

• The sign, carved deep: every blade is scooped by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop and stands well off the dished ground — run a finger across it and the wheel rises and falls under your hand, and no two boards come out the same.
• Classic shape, all the carving: straight edges and stepped rims, so the board sits square on the table and closes to a clean block — and every inch of the cover, lattice to border, is cut by hand.
• 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.

Is the carving real? Yes. The eternity sign, the lattice, the rope and beaded borders and the wheel ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed. The honey 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.

Arevakhach, the Sun-Cross

Armenians were carving this wheel before they had letters — on rock faces in the Syunik highlands, on the walls of Bronze Age tombs, and later on every khachkar and church gable in the country. The blades lean, so the eye is always chasing the next one; it means life going round, the sun coming back, nothing ending. Master Ohanyan carves it here big and deep, each blade scooped into a hollow, so it changes with the light in the room — flat at noon, long-shadowed in the evening, soft under a lamp. The old carvers would have understood. On stone or on beech, the sign was always meant to be touched.

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 fiftieth birthday, a christening or the son who has just bought his first flat, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with the eternity sign on the lid is the backgammon gift set that outlasts the occasion. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.