Pomegranate Tree Walnut Travel Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline

Pomegranate Tree Walnut Travel Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

The travel one, with the tree on it: a pomegranate tree left standing in pale walnut — trunk, curling branches, leaves and fruit — over a disc of leaf-green resin, under Ararat's carved peaks. This is the 40 cm / 15.7″ Armenian wooden travel backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, Ararat outline. Handmade in walnut, 32 checkers, dice, branded case.

This is the board for the carry-on, the summer house by the lake, and the player who wants the Armenian tree of plenty on a board that fits a rucksack. Nothing is left out for the size: the tree is the walnut itself, cut round every leaf and pomegranate and left proud while vivid green resin is poured into the disc and polished level, a rope-and-bead ring holds it, star stipple and diamond lattice fill the covers, and the mountain's snow ridges are cut along the top edge.

Open, the walnut is bare and the game is line work at full scale — cross-hatched points under fleur-de-lys tips, a petal wheel in a scrolled ring on each half, a stamped brass hinge on the bar; the back carries an eternity whirl in line on a stippled disc. For the student abroad, the road trip, and the player who wants the country's symbols packed light.

Specifications

• Size open: 40 × 40 cm / 15.7″ × 15.7″
• Size folded: 40 × 20 cm / 15.7″ × 7.9″
• Material: walnut wood, natural colour, varnished; leaf-green epoxy resin around the tree
• Decoration: a pomegranate tree — trunk, curling branches, leaves and fruit — left standing in the walnut over a pour of leaf-green epoxy resin, sanded flush and polished, inside a rope-and-bead ring; cusped panels of chip-carved star stipple, diamond lattice and rope-and-bead borders; the twin peaks of Mount Ararat with snow ridges carved on the top edge; an eternity whirl in line work on a stippled disc on the back cover; cross-hatched points with fleur-de-lys tips and petal wheels in scrolled rings in line work inside
• Outline: Ararat — the twin peaks of Mount Ararat along the top edge, over a scrolled body with curled corners
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Epoxy-inlaid walnut travel backgammon board with the Ararat outline
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• The tree is wood, the ground is green: every branch and pomegranate is the walnut lid left standing, and the green is resin poured round them and polished flush, so the tree reads as real wood on glass.
• Ararat on a board that travels: the twin peaks are carved into the top edge of the small board — the full outline, the full lattice, on a lid you can carry under one arm.
• Make it theirs: add a name or a date at checkout to mark a birthday, a retirement or years of games together.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How big is it open? Open, it is a square about the width of a laptop screen — small enough for a café table or a train tray, with checkers scaled to match — and closed it is the size of a hardback book. The tree is walnut left standing over green epoxy that is sanded flush and polished, the lattice and stipple are chip-carved, the inside is cut in line work, and the board is varnished. Nothing is printed or applied.

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 policy.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Wipe with a dry, soft cloth and store it closed in its carrying case.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine woodcraft in 1985 and founded his workshop in Yerevan in 2010. This board belongs to his collection of wooden backgammon sets, each one made by hand by the craftspeople of that workshop. Read Hrachya Ohanyan's story or explore the full backgammon collection.

Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.