Luxury Village Hand Mill Walnut Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline

Luxury Village Hand Mill Walnut Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

Two women at their work in deep relief — one turning a hand mill, one at the butter churn hanging from a tree — with houses and orchards behind, under the peaks of Ararat carved along the top edge. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ luxury walnut backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, with hornbeam inlay, 32 checkers, dice and a branded case.

This is the board for the family that came from a village like this one, the collector who already owns the maker's other scenes, and the house where the good things stay on the table. The women's headscarves, the stones of the wall, the leaves of every tree stand clear of the ground; a rococo scroll frame and a faceted lattice run round the scene, and the mountain's twin peaks rise from the lid itself.

Inside, the walnut field carries points and wheel ornaments inlaid in pale hornbeam, with the maker's stamped hinge on the bar. The back cover is a chequerboard in carved basket weave with an eternity whirl in deep relief at each end. For the milestone birthday, the parents' anniversary, and the wall in the diaspora that already has the map.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: walnut wood with hornbeam inlay, finished with beeswax
• Carving: village scene in deep relief — hand mill, butter churn, houses, orchards — in a rococo scroll frame with faceted lattice; Ararat peaks carved along the top edge; basket-weave chequerboard and eternity whirls on the back
• Outline: Mount Ararat — the twin peaks carved along the top edge
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Hand-carved backgammon board
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• A whole day on one lid: two women at their work, a wall, a churn on its branch, trees down to the last leaf — carved deep enough to cast their own shadows.
• The mountain is the board: Ararat is not a picture on the lid but the shape of it — closed, the board stands with the summits up.
• Make it theirs: add a name or a date at checkout to mark a birthday, a retirement or years of games together.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the carving real? Yes — in deep relief from the solid walnut: the figures, the mill, the churn, the houses and trees all stand off the ground, and the scroll frame, the lattice and the basket weave on the back are carved the same way. The pale points and wheels inside are hornbeam set into the walnut. The surface is beeswax, not varnish. Nothing is printed.

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 policy.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Wipe with a dry, soft cloth and store it closed in its carrying case.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine woodcraft in 1985 and founded his workshop in Yerevan in 2010. This board belongs to his collection of wooden backgammon sets, each one made by hand by the craftspeople of that workshop. Read Hrachya Ohanyan's story or explore the full backgammon collection.

Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.