Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Hayastan Khor Virap, Ararat Outline, Medium

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Hayastan Khor Virap, Ararat Outline, Medium, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Armenia in one word and one view. Along the top edge of this board the twin peaks of Ararat rise in carved relief, their slopes cut in rough textured strokes; below them, drawn in fine line work, Khor Virap sits on its rock — the long crenellated wall, the conical tower of the church, the boulders tumbling down to the plain. Across the front, in pale wood against the dark stain, master Hrachya Ohanyan set the word ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ — Hayastan, Armenia — in the ornamental letters of the old manuscripts, with a vine scroll and an eternity whirl at its side, all on a ground of fine carved lattice inside rope-and-bead borders. A handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech at 19.6″ / 50 cm — the size that fits a small table and still gives a full game.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 19.6″ / 50 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens on a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring at the heart of each half, points in pale and dark wood tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes, and ornate bronze hinges 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 flat where the passport says one thing and the heart says Hayastan — the diaspora kitchen, the Yerevan balcony, the friend who comes home every August.

Specifications

• Size open: 50 × 50 cm / 19.6″ × 19.6″
• Size folded: 50 × 25 cm / 19.6″ × 9.8″
• Material: beech wood, carved from one piece, stained warm brown and varnished
• Motif: the word Hayastan (Armenia) in ornamental Armenian letters in pale wood, Khor Virap monastery on its rock in fine line work, the peaks of Ararat carved in relief along the top edge, a vine scroll and an eternity whirl; carved lattice ground with rope-and-bead borders; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: Mount Ararat — the twin peaks carved in relief along the top, with scrolled corners
• 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

• Three ways of carving on one lid: the Ararat peaks stand up in real relief, the lattice ground is cut by hand, and the monastery and the letters are drawn and worked into the surface — all in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, no two boards the same.
• A whole postcard of Armenia: Ararat, Khor Virap and the name of the country in its own alphabet — the view every Armenian knows from the road south of Yerevan, on a nardi board.
• Ready for the table: 19.6″ / 50 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 19.6″ / 50 cm square — one step below the full 60 cm size, and the right choice for a smaller table. Closed, it is 19.6″ × 9.8″ / 50 × 25 cm and stands on its own edge, peaks up.

Is the carving real? Yes — in three techniques. The peaks of Ararat along the top edge, the rope-and-bead borders and the lattice ground are cut into the beech by hand in relief. The monastery, its walls and the boulders are drawn in fine line work into the wood, and the letters of ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ are worked into the surface in pale wood against the dark stain. Nothing is printed. 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 View from the Road South

Drive south from Yerevan for half an hour and the plain opens, Ararat fills the windscreen, and on a low rock in front of it stands Khor Virap — the monastery built over the pit where Gregory the Illuminator was held for thirteen years before he baptised King Tiridates and Armenia became the first Christian nation, in 301. It is the most photographed view in the country, the one on the postcards and the one every visitor is driven to first. The workshop put that view on a nardi board with the country's name underneath, because for Armenians abroad it is not a landscape — it is home.

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 birthday in the diaspora, a wedding in Yerevan, a friend who has just taken citizenship or a father who keeps a photo of Ararat on the wall, an Armenian backgammon set with Khor Virap and the word Hayastan on it is the backgammon gift set that says where you are from. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and on Father's Day. It gets opened, played and passed on.