Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Eternity Whirl, Ararat Outline

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Eternity Whirl, Ararat Outline, by Hrachya Ohanyan

A whirlpool of eternity under the mountain. The top of this board rises into the two peaks of Mount Ararat, hewn along the edge in rough open strokes and left pale against the honey stain, and below them, in a dished round frame ringed with rope and beads, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved the Armenian eternity sign in deep relief — a whirl of scooped, rounded blades spinning out from the centre, each one catching the light on its crest and dropping it in the hollow beside. Around the frame runs a field of fine carved lattice between lobed panels inside a beaded border, the sides swing out in scallops, and the rims are stepped under your hand. A handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — the two great Armenian signs on one cover, the mountain that stays and the wheel that turns.

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 where Ararat hangs in the hall, the wedding table and the grandfather who will not play on anything with a printed lid.

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: the Armenian eternity sign (arevakhach) carved in deep relief as a whirl of scooped blades inside a dished round frame ringed with rope and beads; the two peaks of Mount Ararat hewn along the top edge; carved lattice field, lobed panels, beaded border; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: Mount Ararat — the top edge rises into the two peaks, scalloped sides, carved stepped rims
• 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

• Carved deep, not drawn: every blade of the sign is scooped by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop and stands well off the dished ground — run a finger across it and the wheel rises and falls under your hand, and no two boards come out the same.
• The mountain on the edge: the two peaks are hewn along the top in rough strokes and left pale against the honey stain — closed on a shelf, the board reads as a skyline 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 eternity sign, the Ararat crest, 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.

Arevakhach Under Ararat

The carvers of the old khachkars had a trick: they set the blades of the eternity sign leaning, so the eye follows them round and never finds a place to rest. Master Ohanyan carves it here the way they did — deep, with each blade scooped so the shadow turns with the light — and puts it under the one skyline every Armenian window looks for. Ararat is on the coat of arms, on the wall of the kitchen, in the first clear morning of every Yerevan winter, and just across a border. The sign is older than the alphabet, turning on Bronze Age tombs and on the gable of every village church, and it means what a wheel means: life going round, nothing ending. On a nardi board the two together are the whole country, closed, on a shelf.

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 wedding, a new home, a father who keeps a picture of Ararat above the desk or the friend who has been away too long, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with the mountain on its edge and the eternity sign on its cover is the backgammon gift set that says the two things every Armenian house says. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.