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

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

The whole view of Armenia, at a size that goes in a bag. On this 15.7″ / 40 cm board the twin peaks of Ararat make the top edge in carved relief, summits left pale; below them Khor Virap sits on its rock in fine line work — wall, tower and gate; and ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ — Hayastan — runs across the front in pale ornamental letters against warm brown beech, a vine scroll at one end and an eternity whirl at the other. Master Hrachya Ohanyan textures the ground by hand and frames it in rope and beads, exactly as on the full-size board. A handmade Armenian travel backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of wood, closing to 15.7″ × 7.9″ / 40 × 20 cm.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 15.7″ / 40 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens on a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring at the heart of each half, pale and dark points 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 portable backgammon set for the flight to Yerevan, the summer house at Tsaghkadzor, and the office drawer that needs one thing in it worth opening at lunch.

Specifications

• Size open: 40 × 40 cm / 15.7″ × 15.7″
• Size folded: 40 × 20 cm / 15.7″ × 7.9″
• 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; hand-textured 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

• The postcard in a bag: Ararat in relief, Khor Virap in line work, Hayastan in pale wood — the full-size design from the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop at 15.7″ / 40 cm, and no two boards the same.
• The board is the mountain: the Ararat outline is the shape of the lid itself — closed, it stands on its edge with the summits up, even on a hotel bedside table.
• Ready anywhere: board, checkers in light and dark wood, dice and a carrying case — open it on a café table and play.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How big is it? Open, the board is 15.7″ / 40 cm square — a compact size that still gives a proper game. Closed, it is 15.7″ × 7.9″ / 40 × 20 cm and fits in a bag, peaks up.

Is the carving real? Yes — in three techniques. The peaks of Ararat along the top, the rope-and-bead borders and the textured 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 brown stain. Nothing is printed. The colour is a stain in the wood under the varnish.

Is 40 cm big enough to play properly? Yes — all thirty-two checkers and both dice on a full-layout board; the points are shorter, not fewer. If you want the same Khor Virap design for the living-room table, the workshop makes it at 19.6″ / 50 cm and 23.6″ / 60 cm as well.

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.

A Mountain That Travels

Armenians carry Ararat with them. It is on the passport stamp, the airline's tail fin, the brandy bottle in the suitcase and the pendant round the neck — the mountain across the border that every Armenian home keeps a picture of. Khor Virap is where you stand to see it whole, over the vineyards of the plain, with the monastery on its rock and the pit of Gregory the Illuminator beneath the chapel. The workshop cut that view into a board small enough for hand luggage, wrote Hayastan under it, and left the snow on the peaks in bare wood — so the mountain goes wherever the game does.

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 student leaving for university, a friend moving abroad, a birthday in the diaspora or the grandfather who plays on the balcony, an Armenian travel backgammon set with Ararat, Khor Virap and Hayastan on the lid is the backgammon gift set that fits the suitcase and says home. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and on Father's Day. It gets opened, played and passed on.