Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Stag and Doe, Ararat Outline

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Stag and Doe, Ararat Outline, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Deer at the foot of the mountain. The top edge of this board is cut into the two peaks of Ararat with the snow left in pale bare wood, and below them, in a round rope-ringed frame, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved a stag and a doe in deep relief — the stag standing with antlers raised and head turned, the doe resting in the grass at his feet, trees closing in behind them. Every tine and every leaf stands clear of a stippled ground. Around the frame runs a field of fine carved lattice between lobed panels inside a beaded border, the sides curve in and out, 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 — the deer of the Armenian highlands, under the mountain they live beneath.

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 mountain house, the hunting lodge in the Armenian highlands and the friend who drives to Khosrov forest just to see a deer.

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: a stag standing over a resting doe between trees, 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: Mount Ararat silhouette — the two peaks cut into the top edge with pale snow, scalloped sides
• 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

• Deer in real relief: the stag, the doe, the grass and the trees are carved by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop and stand well off the ground — run a finger over the antlers and you feel every tine, and no two boards come out the same.
• The board is the mountain: the Ararat outline is cut into the wood itself, snow and all — closed on a shelf it reads as sculpture before it reads as a game.
• 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, peaks up.

Is the carving real? Yes. The stag and doe, the trees, the lattice, the rope and beaded borders, the mountain edge and the wheel ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed. The snow on the peaks is the beech left bare, and 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.

Deer Under Ararat

The red deer of the Armenian highlands has been carved since the Bronze Age — it is on the petroglyphs of Ughtasar, on Urartian bronze and in the margins of medieval Gospels, always with the antlers drawn large, because the antlers are the point: they fall and grow back every year, and a people who have lost and rebuilt as often as the Armenians know what that means. Master Ohanyan puts the stag and his doe under the two peaks of Ararat, the mountain the deer of Khosrov forest can see on a clear morning, and cuts both from the same piece of wood. A nardi board with the whole landscape on it.

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 hunter, a forester, a birthday in the mountains or the friend who left Armenia and misses the view, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with a stag and doe under Ararat 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.