Split Pomegranate Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline

Split Pomegranate Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

Ararat's two peaks along the top, a scrolled body with curled corners, and in the ring a whole pomegranate beside a split one, its seeds carved dark. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying case.

This is the board for the Armenian who wants the whole story on one lid: the mountain and the fruit. The peaks are carved with their snow along the top edge; the sides swell and curl under a stepped moulding. In the beaded ring the fruit is carved the way it grows — one pomegranate round and whole, the other opened to a bowl of seeds cut bead by bead and finished dark garnet, leaves behind — all in one deep chestnut stain, cusped honeycomb panels and lattice either side.

Open, the game is plain and pale against the dark frame: fleur-de-lys-tipped points, a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring on each half, an ornate bronze hinge on the bar, and on the back two eternity whirls sunk in round bowls. For the diaspora wedding, the parents who emigrated, and the house where Ararat already hangs in the hall.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained dark chestnut and varnished; pomegranate seeds coloured dark garnet
• Carving: a whole pomegranate and a split pomegranate with its seeds carved one by one and finished dark garnet, with leaves, in relief on a cross-hatched ground inside a beaded ring; the two snow-streaked peaks of Ararat along the top edge; cusped panels of honeycomb stippling and diamond lattice; stepped moulded rim; eternity whirls in round bowls on the back
• Outline: Ararat — the twin peaks of Mount Ararat along the top edge, over a scrolled body with curled corners
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Hand-carved backgammon board
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Mountain and fruit together: the two Armenian marks people ask for most, on one board — the peaks on the edge, the pomegranates in the ring.
• Split to the seed: the open fruit is carved bead by bead and finished dark, so it reads as a pomegranate from across the room.
• 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

Is the carving real? Yes. The peaks are shaped along the top edge and the scroll is cut from the board itself; the pomegranates, leaves and ground are carved in relief into the beech, the seeds cut one by one and coloured dark, and the honeycomb and lattice are cut into the same lid. Stain and varnish come last; 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.