Split Pomegranate Backgammon Set with Contour Outline

Split Pomegranate Backgammon Set with Contour Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

One pomegranate whole, one split open with its seeds picked out in red, on a sprig of leaves inside a beaded ring. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan on his contour outline. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying case.

This is the board for the family whose holiday table always has one. The fruit is carved the way it grows: a round pomegranate with the calyx turned to the light, and beside it one burst open, the skin peeled back and each seed a separate bead, coloured a deep wine red against the pale wood. Leaves fan out behind, a swirl of carved ground runs beneath, and a beaded ring holds it on a stippled field. Either side, cusped honeycomb panels, diamond lattice and rope borders.

Inside, nothing competes with the fruit: pale and dark points with fleur-de-lys tips, 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 wedding, the Armenian kitchen, and the guest who always reaches for the pomegranate first.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained honey chestnut and varnished; pomegranate seeds coloured red
• Carving: a whole pomegranate and a split pomegranate with its seeds carved one by one and coloured red, on a leafy sprig over a swirl of ground, in relief inside a beaded ring on a stippled field; cusped panels of honeycomb stippling and diamond lattice; rope borders; stepped moulded rim; eternity whirls in round bowls on the back
• Outline: Contour — scrolled edges with swelling shoulders and 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

• Seeds you can count: the split fruit is carved bead by bead and the seeds coloured red — the only colour on the board, exactly where a pomegranate keeps it.
• Fruit, not a symbol: no cross, no knot — a pomegranate branch as it grows, one whole and one open, leaves and all.
• 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 two pomegranates, the leaves and the ground beneath are carved in relief into the beech, the seeds are cut one by one and coloured red, the ring, honeycomb and lattice are cut into the same lid, and the contour edge is shaped from the board itself. 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.