Luxury Yarkhushta Dance Walnut Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline

Luxury Yarkhushta Dance Walnut Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

The Yarkhushta — the war dance of Sassoun — carved in deep relief: dancers in fleece cloaks, arms raised, a drummer and a piper, under Ararat's peaks. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ luxury wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, Ararat outline. Handmade in walnut and hornbeam, 32 checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded case.

This is the board for the Sassountsi family, the dance ensemble's director, and the player who wants a whole scene rather than an emblem. The dancers come at you in a row, arms thrown up, cloaks of shaggy fleece cut strand by strand; one beats the dhol at the left, a piper plays beside him, an old man watches from a rock with his staff, and a fortress wall runs behind them all. An acanthus-scroll frame closes the scene and the rim above it is cut into Ararat's peaks.

Inside, the points and the petal-wheel discs are pale hornbeam let into the walnut, drop-shaped with fleur-de-lys tips, and a brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark sits on the bar; the back is basket weave with acanthus scrolls. For the Sassoun reunion, the fiftieth wedding anniversary, and the player who wants the dance on the lid and Ararat cut into the rim.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: walnut wood, natural colour, finished with natural beeswax; hornbeam inlay inside
• Carving: the Yarkhushta war dance of Sassoun — a row of dancers in fleece cloaks with arms raised, a dhol drummer, a piper, a seated elder with a staff, a fortress wall behind — in deep relief across the front cover inside an acanthus-scroll frame; Mount Ararat's twin peaks carved into the top rim, snow caps left pale; carved basket weave and acanthus scrolls on the back; pale hornbeam points and petal-wheel discs inlaid inside
• Outline: Ararat — the twin peaks of the mountain carved into the top edge of the board, scrolled sides below
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze 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

• A dance you can count: every dancer is carved separately — cloak, sash, raised hands — and the drummer and piper with them, so the lid reads as a scene, not a pattern.
• Hornbeam under the checkers: the pale points are real hornbeam set into the walnut, so the field stays crisp through a lifetime of play and the contrast never wears off.
• 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

What is the dance? The Yarkhushta, the war dance of Sassoun in the Armenian highlands — men facing each other in lines, clapping palm to palm, to the dhol and the zurna. Here it is carved in deep relief from the walnut under the peaks of Ararat, with a beeswax finish rather than a thick varnish. The pale points inside are hornbeam inlaid into the walnut. 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.