Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Dark Wood

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Dark Wood, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The whole Mother See fills a wide lobed cartouche across the lid — the cathedral with its dome on an arcaded drum, the bell tower with its conical roof, a corner belfry, the long stone precinct wall with its arched gate, trees pressed against the walls and the paving of the courtyard in front — all cut in deep relief into dark chestnut-stained wood, stone block by stone block. Master Hrachya Ohanyan frames the scene in a rope-and-bead border and fills the rest of the lid with a carved diamond lattice, and on the back cover two eternity whirls spin in rope rings. 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 plate 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 house where the christening photo hangs, the parish hall after the liturgy, and the son abroad who was married in that courtyard.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained dark chestnut and varnished
• Motif: the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin — cathedral with dome and arcaded drum, bell tower, corner belfry, stone precinct wall with arched gate, trees and paved courtyard — carved in deep relief inside a wide lobed cartouche with a rope-and-bead border; carved diamond lattice on the lid; two eternity whirls in rope rings 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 whole compound, in relief: cathedral, bell tower, belfry, wall and gate cut into the wood by hand in one wide scene — not a single church but the Mother See as you see it from the square, from the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop.
• Dark and deep: the chestnut stain sits in the cuts and lifts the walls out of the ground — the darker sibling of our honey-toned Etchmiadzin board, for a room with dark furniture.
• 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 towers, the walls with their stone courses, the gate, the trees and the paving are all cut into the beech by hand in deep relief inside the cartouche; the rope-and-bead border and the lattice over the lid are carved too, and so are the two eternity whirls on the back. Nothing is printed. The colour is a dark stain in the wood under the varnish, which is why it sits deepest in the cuts.

How is it different from the honey-toned Etchmiadzin board? Same size, same workshop. That one shows the cathedral in a round ring with a name plaque on honey-brown wood; this one shows the whole walled compound in a wide cartouche on dark chestnut. Choose by the room it will live in.

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 Oil and the Wall

Everything Armenian that needs blessing comes back to this courtyard. Every seven years the Catholicos consecrates the Holy Muron here — olive oil and balsam with some forty herbs and flowers, and a measure of the previous batch stirred in so that the chain has never been broken since the fourth century — and from Etchmiadzin it goes out to every Armenian church in the world, for every christening, every ordination, every new altar. The wall carved along this lid is the wall around that courtyard, with the gate everyone walks in through; the cathedral of 301–303 stands behind it, the bell tower in front. The workshop cut the whole compound in one wide scene rather than the church alone, because Etchmiadzin is not a building — it is the place.

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 christening, a wedding in the Mother See, a deacon's ordination, the parents who send their children to Sunday school, or the friend who has never been but keeps meaning to go, an Armenian backgammon set with Etchmiadzin carved across the lid is the backgammon gift set that says where the family stands. We send it at Christmas, at Easter and on 21 September. It gets opened, played and passed on.