Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Hayastan Khor Virap, Classic Outline

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

The name of the country, and the view that goes with it. Across the front of this classic board master Hrachya Ohanyan set the word ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ — Hayastan, Armenia — in pale ornamental letters against the honey-brown stain, with a vine scroll and an eternity whirl at its side. Above it, drawn in fine line work, Khor Virap stands on its rock: the crenellated wall, the conical church tower, the tumbled boulders — and behind it the two peaks of Ararat with their snow caps picked out in pale wood. The ground is finely textured by hand and held inside rope-and-bead borders on a straight, classic outline. A handmade Armenian backgammon set from a single piece of beech at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm 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, a carved scalloped frame round the field and an ornate 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 family that says Hayastan and means the whole plain — the kitchen in Glendale, the balcony in Yerevan, the grandfather who taught everyone the rules.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, made from one piece, stained honey brown and varnished
• Motif: the word Hayastan (Armenia) in ornamental Armenian letters in pale wood, Khor Virap monastery on its rock and the twin peaks of Ararat in fine line work with pale-wood snow caps, a vine scroll and an eternity whirl; hand-textured ground with rope-and-bead borders; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: classic, square, with carved rope-and-bead borders
• 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 whole view on one lid: Ararat, Khor Virap and the country's name in its own alphabet — the postcard every Armenian carries in their head, worked into beech by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop.
• Pale wood against honey brown: the letters and the snow on the peaks are set in light wood, so the name reads from across the room and the mountain looks like the mountain.
• 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 rope-and-bead borders, the textured ground and the scalloped frame inside are cut into the beech by hand. The monastery, the walls and the slopes of Ararat are drawn in fine line work into the wood, and the letters of ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ and the snow caps are worked into the surface in pale wood against the honey stain. Nothing is printed. The 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 Land of Hayk

Armenians do not call their country Armenia. At home it is Hayastan — the land of Hayk, the archer who, the old chronicle says, led his people into the mountains around Ararat and founded the nation. The name is on the passport, the football shirts and every sign at Zvartnots airport, and it is the first word a diaspora child learns to read in the alphabet. Khor Virap below the mountain is the view that goes with it: the monastery over the pit where Gregory the Illuminator waited thirteen years, with Ararat filling the sky behind. Put the word and the view on a nardi board and every game opens with the name the family uses for 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 wedding in the diaspora, a son leaving for university, a friend who has just moved to Yerevan or a father who says Hayastan with a sigh, an Armenian backgammon set with the country's name under Khor Virap and Ararat is the backgammon gift set that means home. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and on Father's Day. It gets opened, played and passed on.