Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Classic Outline

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Classic Outline, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The Cathedral of Etchmiadzin stands in deep relief on the lid, seen the way you see it walking in from the gate: the columned bell tower in front, the dome on its arcaded drum behind, a small corner belfry to one side, the long arched wall running off to the right, and the paving of the courtyard drawn in perspective lines under it all. Master Hrachya Ohanyan cuts the sky in rough gouged strokes, sets a small plaque with the name ԷՋՄԻԱԾԻՆ below the walls and closes the scene in a rope-and-bead ring, between two cusped panels of stippled ground on a carved diamond lattice. A handmade Armenian backgammon set, hand-carved at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm in the classic square outline.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 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; on the back cover two eternity whirls spin in cusped panels. 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 kavor's house, the priest's study, and the family that drives out to Etchmiadzin every Easter and plays nardi on the way back.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained honey brown and varnished
• Motif: the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin — bell tower, dome, corner belfry, arched precinct wall and paved courtyard — carved in deep relief inside a rope-and-bead ring, with a name plaque in Armenian letters; cusped stippled panels and a carved diamond lattice on the lid; two eternity whirls on the back cover; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: Classic — the square frame with a moulded rim
• 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 Mother See, in relief: dome, bell tower, wall and courtyard cut into the wood by hand, the sky in gouged strokes, the name on a plaque — one scene, nothing printed, from the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop.
• Carved on both sides: a rope ring and cusped panels on a lattice lid in front, two eternity whirls on the back — the board is finished all the way round, not just where it shows.
• Ready for the table: full-size 23.6″ / 60 cm board, checkers in light and dark wood, a dice set 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 cathedral, the bell tower, the walls and the courtyard are cut into the beech by hand in deep relief; the sky is gouged in rough strokes, the ground around the ring is stippled point by point and the lattice over the lid is carved line by line. The only thing not carved is the small name plaque, set into the wood below the walls. 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 Bell Tower in Front

Every picture of Etchmiadzin is really two buildings. The cathedral itself goes back to 301–303, when Gregory the Illuminator built it on the spot where, in his vision, the Only-Begotten came down and struck the ground with a golden hammer — which is what the name means. The bell tower in front of the west door is a newcomer by comparison, put up in the 1650s under Catholicos Philipos, with its arcade of columns and its own small conical roof, and it is the first thing you see when you walk in from the gate. The workshop carved exactly that view — tower first, dome behind, wall running off to the right — because that is how everyone remembers it: the first thing after the gate, and the last thing before the road back to Yerevan.

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 the kavor who held the child at the font, a priest's ordination, a couple married at Etchmiadzin, or the family that drives out on Easter Sunday, an Armenian backgammon set with the Mother See carved on the lid is the backgammon gift set that belongs in an Armenian home. We send it at Christmas, at Easter and on 21 September. It gets opened, played and passed on.