Armenian Backgammon Set - Lori Carpet, Medium

Armenian Backgammon Set - Lori Carpet, Medium, by Hrachya Ohanyan

A Lori carpet at the size of a coffee table. The cover of this 19.6″ / 50 cm board is worked edge to edge as a rug from the north of Armenia — the hooked lozenge at the centre, the two cross-shaped panels beside it, guard stripes of running hooks and small stars, and the wide main border of stepped diamonds — pale motifs on a dark ground cut so finely that it reads as pile until you touch it, with ԳՈՐԳ ԼՈՌԻ, Lori carpet, lettered in the corner. Master Hrachya Ohanyan keeps the outline classic and square and stains the beech a warm golden brown under clear varnish. A handmade Armenian backgammon set from a single piece of wood, one step below the full 60 cm — the carpet for the flat that has no wall left to hang one on.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 19.6″ / 50 cm wooden backgammon board keeps weaving: a stepped star-cross ornament at the heart of each half, points made of chains of small diamonds, the field itself finely textured, a scalloped frame 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 small kitchen with the big opinions, the student who took a rug from home, and the friend who likes patterns more than pictures.

Specifications

• Size open: 50 × 50 cm / 19.6″ × 19.6″
• Size folded: 50 × 25 cm / 19.6″ × 9.8″
• Material: beech wood, made from one piece, stained golden brown and varnished
• Motif: a Lori-Pambak carpet — central hooked lozenge between two cross-shaped panels, hook-and-star guard stripes, stepped-diamond main border — worked into the whole cover in fine two-tone texture, with ԳՈՐԳ ԼՈՌԻ (Lori carpet) lettered in the corner; stepped star-cross ornaments, diamond-chain points and a textured field inside
• Outline: classic, square
• 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

• Carpet, not carving: the rug is worked into the beech in two tones with a fine pile-like texture in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — a Lori carpet that stays flat, keeps its colour and never needs beating.
• The size that fits: 19.6″ / 50 cm open, half that closed — a full game with all thirty-two checkers on a board that suits a small table and a narrow shelf.
• Ready for the table: 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.

Is the pattern printed? No. The carpet is worked into the beech in two tones — the pale motifs left light, the ground cut and textured dark — and sealed under the varnish, so it will not peel or fade. The ornaments, points and field inside are cut the same way, and the frame is carved. The golden 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 Weaver's Signature

Lori weavers rarely signed their carpets, but a good one is signed all over — by the way the hooks on the lozenge turn, by the count of stars in the guard stripe, by the reds that only madder from the right valley gives. Dealers who sold them abroad as Kazaks knew the villages by the borders alone. The Hrachya Ohanyan workshop kept the whole vocabulary when it cut this pattern into wood — lozenge, panels, stripes, border — and added the two words a weaver never needed: ԳՈՐԳ ԼՈՌԻ, Lori carpet, in the corner, so the board says where it comes from before the first throw.

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 first flat, an engagement, a colleague from Lori or the friend who buys rugs on holiday, an Armenian backgammon set worked as a Lori carpet at 50 cm is the backgammon gift set that fits the space and carries the pattern. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.