Armenian Travel Backgammon Set - Lori Carpet

Armenian Travel Backgammon Set - Lori Carpet, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Set this board on the table and it looks like a small carpet has been folded into wood. The cover carries the pattern of a Lori rug — the hooked octagon at the centre, the borders of running hooks and stepped diamonds — worked into the surface so finely that its dotted texture reads like the pile of the carpet itself. Closed, it is 11.8″ / 30 cm: a handmade Armenian backgammon set that slips into a bag and goes wherever the evening takes you.

Open it and the carpet keeps going. A star-cross ornament sits in the centre of each half, and the points are built from chains of small diamonds, the same motifs the weavers of Lori have used for generations. Bronze hinges and a clasp hold it shut, the checkers come in light and dark wood, and the black carrying bag is included. A small board, but a real Armenian nardi board — the full game, played the way it is played at home.

Specifications

• Size open: 30 × 30 cm / 11.8″ × 11.8″
• Size folded: 30 × 15 cm / 11.8″ × 5.9″
• Material: solid wood, hand-finished and lacquered
• Motif: Lori carpet pattern on the cover, star-cross ornaments and diamond-chain points inside
• Hardware: bronze hinges and clasp
• Handmade in Armenia by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Folding travel backgammon board with bronze hinges and clasp
• Full set of checkers in light and dark wood
• Dice set
• Black carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• A carpet you can carry: the Lori pattern covers the whole board, border to border, and the texture changes with the light the way a real rug does.
• Made for travel: a small, portable backgammon set — at 30 cm folded it fits a backpack, a suitcase or a drawer, and it opens in seconds on a café table, a train seat or a picnic blanket.
• A real Armenian nardi set, not a toy: handmade in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop with the same wood, hinges and checkers as the large boards.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is 30 cm big enough to play properly? Yes — it is the classic travel size, comfortable for two players with the standard checkers. If you want a board for the living-room table, look at our 50 cm and 60 cm sets.

Is this the right gift? It is the board we send most often to people who left Armenia and to anyone who misses playing nardi with family — small enough to post, personal enough to keep.

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 short name, a date or a few words 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 bag.

The Lori Carpet

Lori is the green, mountainous province of northern Armenia, and its rugs are among the boldest in the Caucasus — large hooked octagons, stepped borders, geometry you can read from across the room. Armenian carpets have been woven in the same villages for centuries, and their patterns carry into everything the culture makes: church stone, silverwork, and now this board. Play on it and you are playing on a piece of that tradition.

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 Travels Well

A handmade travel backgammon set is the gift for a birthday, a graduation, a first apartment abroad or a friend who is always on the road — and the backgammon gift set we send most at Christmas and on Father's Day to families with Armenian roots. Small enough to post anywhere, and played for years after the box is thrown away.