Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Jerusalem Old City and Hamsa

Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Jerusalem Old City and Hamsa, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Jerusalem on the lid. Inside a lobed cartouche ringed with rope and beads, a view of the Old City is etched in fine sepia tones into a pale wood panel — the Western Wall and the crowd at its foot, the Dome of the Rock above it, a minaret, the flat roofs climbing the hill behind. Around the picture master Hrachya Ohanyan carved his diamond lattice field and a beaded border, kept the outline classic and square, and stained the beech a deep chestnut brown under clear varnish. A handmade wooden backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of wood at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — a board for the house where the family has been to Jerusalem, or means to.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board keeps the theme: at the heart of each half, in place of the usual wheel ornament, sits a hamsa — the open hand with an eye in its palm, patterned like henna — inside a pale oval; pale and dark points tipped with fleur-de-lys, a carved scalloped frame round the field and an ornate 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 plays shesh besh on Friday night, the pilgrim's living room, and anyone who wants a board that means something.

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 deep chestnut brown and varnished; the picture etched into a pale wood panel
• Motif: a view of Jerusalem's Old City — the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock and a minaret — etched in sepia into a pale wood panel inside a carved rope-and-bead cartouche; carved diamond lattice field with beaded border; a hamsa with an eye in the palm at the heart of each half inside, fleur-de-lys points
• Outline: classic, with carved moulded edges
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Entirely handmade 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

• A picture, not a pattern: the Old City is etched into the pale panel in fine sepia tones — the wall, the dome, the crowd — and sealed under varnish, with the lattice and the cartouche carved round it by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop.
• The hand inside: open the board and two hamsas look back at you, one in each half, patterned like henna with an eye in the palm — a blessing on every game.
• 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 picture printed? No. The view of Jerusalem is etched into a pale wood panel in fine tones and sealed under the varnish — it will not peel or fade. The diamond lattice, the rope-and-bead cartouche, the beaded border and the scalloped frame inside are cut into the beech by hand, and the hamsas inside are worked into the wood the same way as the picture. The chestnut 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.

Shesh Besh

In Jerusalem the game is called shesh besh — six-five, in Persian — and it is played in the courtyards of the Old City, in the market cafés and on folding tables outside the shops, by people who agree on very little else. The hamsa, the open hand with the eye in its palm, hangs in the same doorways on every side of the wall — Hand of Miriam to one family, Hand of Fatima to the next, a guard against the evil eye to both. The Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, in a country that also lives under a holy mountain, put the view of the Old City on the lid and the hand inside, where the dice land.

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 homecoming from Jerusalem, a wedding, a pilgrim's birthday or the friend who plays shesh besh every Friday, a wooden backgammon set with the Old City on the lid and a hamsa inside is the backgammon gift set that carries a blessing. We send it at Christmas, at Passover and Eid, and to families far from the city. It gets opened, played and passed on.