Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - David of Sassoun

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - David of Sassoun, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The horse rears, the sword comes up. In the round rope-ringed frame on the cover, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved David of Sassoun in deep relief — the hero of the Armenian epic on his horse Kurkik Jalali, the animal rising on its hind legs over the rocks, David turned in the saddle with the Lightning Sword raised over his shoulder, his cloak flying, every muscle of the horse and every fold of the rider standing clear of a stippled ground. It is the pose every Armenian knows from the square outside Yerevan's railway station, cut into wood. Around the frame runs a field of fine carved lattice between lobed panels inside a beaded border, the edges are stepped, and the whole board is stained a warm honey brown. A handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens on a carved wheel ornament in a scrolled ring at the heart of each half, pale points tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes and an ornate bronze hinge on the centre bar. Thirty-two checkers in light and dark wood, a dice set and the branded carrying case come with it. This is the handmade backgammon board for the house with the epic on the shelf, the boy who has just learned the story of the Lightning Sword and the grandfather who says he could have told it better.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, carved from one piece, stained honey brown and varnished
• Motif: David of Sassoun on his rearing horse Kurkik Jalali, the Lightning Sword raised, carved in deep relief inside a round rope-ringed frame on a stippled ground; carved lattice field, lobed panels, beaded border; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: classic, with carved stepped edges
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Handmade in Armenia by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Backgammon board with bronze hinges and clasps
• 32 checkers made from beech and walnut wood, with velvet bases
• Dice set
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• David in real relief: horse, rider, sword and rocks are carved by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop and stand well off the ground — run a finger along the horse's neck and you feel the mane, and no two boards come out the same.
• The frame does half the work: rope ring, stippled ground, lobed lattice panels, a beaded border and stepped edges — the classic composition, carved, not printed.
• Ready for the table: full-size 23.6″ / 60 cm board, checkers in light and dark wood, dice and a carrying case — open it and play.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How big is it? Open, the board is 23.6″ / 60 cm square — the standard full size for a living-room table. Closed, it is 23.6″ × 11.8″ / 60 × 30 cm and stands on its own edge.

Is the carving real? Yes. The horse and rider, the lattice, the rope and beaded borders and the wheel ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed. The honey colour is a stain in the wood under the varnish.

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 name or a date 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 case.

Sasuntsi Davit

David of Sassoun is the hero of the Armenian national epic, the Daredevils of Sassoun — four generations of giants from the mountains of Sassoun, told aloud for a thousand years before it was first written down in 1873. David is the third: the boy too strong for his own village, the young man who refused the tribute of Msra Melik, the rider who took the Lightning Sword and the horse Kurkik Jalali from his father's tomb and drove the invaders out. Yervand Kochar cast him in bronze in 1959, rearing over Yerevan's station square, and that is the David on this board — the moment before the sword comes down. On a nardi board he waits through every game, sword up, for a roll worth striking at.

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 Lasts Generations

For a son's coming of age, a graduation, an Independence Day birthday, a diaspora club or the father who told the epic at bedtime, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with David of Sassoun on the cover is the backgammon gift set that needs no card. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.