Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Gandzasar and Khachkar Cross

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Gandzasar and Khachkar Cross, by Hrachya Ohanyan

One board, two covers, one monastery. On the front, inside a round frame ringed with rope and beads, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved Gandzasar Monastery in relief — the cathedral with its carved drum and conical dome, the belfry in front of it, the walls and arches, all standing off a fine lattice ground; interlaced six-pointed stars sit in the corners of the panel and scrolling leaf ornament fills the corners of the board inside rope-and-bead borders. Turn it over and the back cover carries a khachkar cross — the Armenian cross with flaring arms and tendrils curling from its base — in a matching round frame, with the same stars and scrolls around it. The whole board is stained a smoky grey-brown, and it is big: a handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech at 27.6″ / 70 cm, a size above the standard, the classic straight board with a carving on either face.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 27.6″ / 70 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens on an interlaced six-pointed star with an eternity sign at its heart, carved in a scrolled ring on each half, pale points tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes and an ornate bronze hinge 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 came from Artsakh, the long table where four people watch every game, and the church committee looking for the one gift that means something.

Specifications

• Size open: 70 × 70 cm / 27.6″ × 27.6″
• Size folded: 70 × 35 cm / 27.6″ × 13.8″
• Material: beech wood, carved from one piece, stained smoky grey-brown and varnished
• Motif: two-sided — Gandzasar Monastery carved in relief on the front cover and a khachkar cross on the back, each in a round rope-and-bead frame on a lattice ground; interlaced six-pointed stars, scrolled leaf corners; interlaced star ornaments with eternity signs 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

• Two carvings, no wasted side: the monastery on one cover and the cross on the other — whichever way it lies on the shelf it shows a carving, and both are cut by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, so no two boards come out the same.
• Stone made wood: the drum of the cathedral, the belfry arches, the flaring arms of the cross and the interlaced stars are cut in relief on a lattice ground — detail you can read with a fingertip.
• The big board: 27.6″ / 70 cm, a size above the standard, for the long table and the long game — with checkers in light and dark wood, dice and a carrying case.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How big is it? Open, the board is 27.6″ / 70 cm square — one size above the standard 60 cm, the board for a big table and long evenings. Closed, it is 27.6″ × 13.8″ / 70 × 35 cm and stands on its own edge.

Is the carving real? Yes. The monastery, the cross, the stars, the scrolled corners, the lattice and the interlaced star ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed. The grey-brown colour is a stain in the wood under the varnish.

Why is it two-sided? Because both covers are carved. The front carries Gandzasar Monastery and the back carries the khachkar cross, so closed on a table or a shelf the board shows a carving from either side. Inside, the points and the bar are the same as on every Hrachya Ohanyan board.

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.

Gandzasar

The name means treasure mountain. Gandzasar stands on a hill above the village of Vank in Artsakh, and its cathedral of St John the Baptist was built between 1216 and 1238 by Prince Hasan-Jalal Dawla and consecrated in 1240. The drum of its dome carries some of the finest figured stone-carving in Armenian architecture — the founders holding up the church, Adam and Eve, the Crucifixion, and a ring of carved crosses like the one on the back of this board. Master Ohanyan puts the church on one cover and one of its crosses on the other, in beech instead of stone. For a great many Armenian families Gandzasar is not a monument on a list; it is a place they carry with them, and this is a way to keep it on the table.

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 family from Artsakh, a christening, a church anniversary or the friend who keeps a photograph of Gandzasar on the wall, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with the monastery on one cover and the cross on the other is the backgammon gift set that carries a place. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.