Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Hayastan Khor Virap, Ararat Outline in Figured Wood

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Hayastan Khor Virap, Ararat Outline in Figured Wood, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Look at the grain first. The beech of this board came off the saw with a flame figure running through it — waves of light and dark that ripple across the lid under the stain — and the workshop kept it, so the picture sits on wood that moves. The picture is Armenia's: the twin peaks of Ararat in carved relief along the top edge, summits left pale; Khor Virap on its rock in fine line work, wall and church tower; and ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ — Hayastan — across the front in pale ornamental letters, a vine scroll at one end and an eternity whirl at the other, all on a ground of tiny carved stars inside rope-and-bead borders. Master Hrachya Ohanyan makes it at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — a handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of wood, and no two lids with the same grain.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 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, 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 person who notices wood — the carpenter's son, the collector who turns a board over before buying, and the family that wants Ararat on the table every Sunday.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: figured beech wood with a flame grain, carved from one piece, stained golden 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; ground of fine carved star lattice 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

• Wood that moves: a flame figure in the beech ripples under the golden stain across the whole lid — the workshop chose this board for its grain, and there will not be another like it.
• The view every Armenian knows: Ararat in relief, Khor Virap in line work, Hayastan in pale wood — three techniques on one lid from the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop.
• 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 — in three techniques. The peaks of Ararat along the top, the rope-and-bead borders and the star-lattice ground are cut into the beech by hand in relief. The monastery, its walls and the rocks are drawn in fine line work into the wood, and the letters of ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ are worked into the surface in pale wood against the golden stain. Nothing is printed. The flame figure is the wood's own grain under the stain and 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.

Reading the Grain

Beech is a plain wood most of the time — pale, even, quiet — which is why the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop likes it for carving. But now and then a board comes off the saw with figure in it: waves where the tree grew under strain, catching the light one way and swallowing it the other. The carvers keep those boards for the designs that deserve them. Khor Virap under Ararat is one of those — the monastery where Gregory the Illuminator spent thirteen years in the pit, the mountain across the border that every Armenian home keeps a picture of, and the name of the country underneath. On figured wood the whole scene seems to sit in weather.

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 father who knows wood, a wedding in Yerevan, a friend's first home abroad or a nardi player who already owns a plain board, an Armenian backgammon set with Khor Virap and Hayastan on a lid of figured wood is the backgammon gift set that nobody else has. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and on Father's Day. It gets opened, played and passed on.