Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Garni Temple, Ararat Outline

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

The temple 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 dark stain, and below them, inside a round frame ringed with rope and beads, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved the temple of Garni in relief — the colonnade, the pediment and the long flight of steps up to the podium, seen from the corner so the front and the side columns both show, standing off a finely stippled ground. Around the frame runs a field of fine carved lattice between lobed panels edged in rope and beads, 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, stained a deep brown — the oldest building in Armenia under the oldest mountain, on one lid.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens on a carved bunch of grapes at the heart of each half, pale points tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes and an ornate bronze hinge on the centre bar; the older photos in the gallery show this model with the workshop's wheel ornament inside instead. 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, the family from Kotayk, and the father who took everyone to Garni on a Sunday and made them count the columns.

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 deep brown and varnished
• Motif: the temple of Garni carved in relief — colonnade, pediment and steps on a stippled ground — inside a round rope-and-bead frame; the two peaks of Mount Ararat hewn along the top edge; carved lattice field, lobed panels with rope-and-bead edges; carved grape clusters 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

• Columns you can count: the colonnade, the steps and the pediment are cut in relief by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — look close and you can count the columns, and no two boards come out the same.
• Two landmarks, one lid: the peaks of Ararat hewn along the top edge and the temple of Garni in the round frame below — 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 temple, the Ararat crest, the lattice, the rope and beaded borders and the ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed. The brown 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

Garni is the only Greco-Roman colonnaded temple still standing in Armenia, and the only one anywhere in the former Soviet lands. King Tiridates I raised it in the first century, most likely to Mihr, the sun god, on a cliff above the Azat river gorge — twenty-four Ionic columns on a high podium, reached by a steep flight of steps. When Armenia became Christian in 301 the pagan temples came down; Garni was spared, kept as a summer house for the royal family, and stood until the earthquake of 1679 threw it to the ground. Its stones lay in the grass for three centuries and were put back, one by one, between 1969 and 1975. Master Ohanyan carves it from the corner, the way every visitor first sees it from the path, and sets it under Ararat. On a nardi board it is two thousand years of the 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 an architect, a first trip home, a wedding in Kotayk or the friend who keeps a photograph of Garni on the wall, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with the temple on the lid is the backgammon gift set that brings the place home. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.