Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Garni Temple Facade

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Garni Temple Facade, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Garni, face on. Inside a round frame ringed with rope and beads at the centre of the cover, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved the temple of Garni the way you see it from the foot of its stairs — the pediment, the row of columns across the front, the high podium, the flight of steps and the paved forecourt below, all standing in relief off a finely stippled ground that keeps the shadow. Around the frame runs a field of scale-fine carved lattice between lobed panels edged in rope and beads, inside a wide carved border with stepped rims, 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 classic straight board, with the oldest building in Armenia on the lid.

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 architect who likes an elevation better than a perspective, the family from Kotayk, and the friend who climbed those steps as a child and never forgot the view.

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 facade of the temple of Garni carved in relief — pediment, columns, podium and steps on a stippled ground — inside a round rope-and-bead frame; scale-fine carved lattice field, lobed panels with rope-and-bead edges, wide carved 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

• The facade, column by column: every column, the steps and the pediment are cut in relief by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — the temple exactly as it meets you from the path, and no two boards come out the same.
• Ground that holds the shadow: the stippled ground inside the frame keeps the temple bright at any angle, and the scale-fine lattice, the rope-and-bead panels and the wide border are cut all the way to the stepped rims.
• 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 temple and the stippled ground beneath it, 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.

The Temple of Garni

Six columns across the front, eight down each side, twenty-four in all — the temple of Garni is the only Greco-Roman colonnaded building still standing in Armenia, or anywhere in the old Soviet lands. King Tiridates I built it in the first century on a cliff above the Azat gorge, most likely for Mihr, the sun god, and when the country turned Christian in 301 and the other temples came down, Garni was kept as a royal summer house. The earthquake of 1679 brought it to the ground; its blocks lay in the grass for three hundred years until they were put back, stone by stone, between 1969 and 1975. Master Ohanyan carves it face on, the way it stands at the top of its stairs, with the sun on the columns. On a nardi board it is the country before the cross, 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 the architect in the family, a housewarming, a graduation or the friend who climbed those steps as a child, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with the temple on the lid is the backgammon gift set that keeps a place on the table. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.