Armenian Backgammon Set - Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Two Tones

Armenian Backgammon Set - Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Two Tones, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The cathedral, its bell tower and the wall around them, drawn in a single panel. Across a wide pale panel with softly arched corners, the whole Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is drawn in fine dark lines on the bare wood — the domed cathedral, the tall bell tower beside it, the precinct wall with its gate and trees, birds over the roofs and the name ԷՋՄԻԱԾԻՆ beneath. Around the panel master Hrachya Ohanyan carved acanthus scrolls in real relief at each corner, on a finely stippled ground inside a rope border, and stained the frame a deep honey brown so the pale picture glows out of it. A handmade Armenian backgammon set from a single piece of wood at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — an engraving of the holy city with a carved frame around it.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm wooden backgammon board opens on a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring worked into each half, pale points tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes and an ornate bronze 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 diaspora parish hall, the family that lights a candle at Etchmiadzin every visit home and the friend who keeps a picture of the cathedral above the desk.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, made from one piece, stained honey brown and varnished
• Motif: the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin — cathedral, bell tower and precinct wall — drawn in fine line-work on a wide pale panel with the name Էջմիածին beneath (two-tone); hand-carved acanthus scroll corners on a stippled ground, rope border; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: classic, with carved stepped edges
• 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

• Two tones, one picture: the pale panel carries the whole cathedral complex in fine lines, worked into the wood in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — it reads like an old engraving, and no two boards come out the same.
• Carved corners: the acanthus scrolls at the four corners are cut in real relief on a stippled ground — a carved frame around a drawn picture.
• Ready for the table: full-size 23.6″ / 60 cm board, 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 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 picture printed? No. The cathedral and its walls are drawn into the pale beech in fine cut lines and finished under the varnish — they will not peel or fade. The acanthus corners, the stippled ground, the rope border and the wheel ornaments inside are cut into the wood by hand.

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 Mother See

Etchmiadzin is more than a cathedral: it is a walled precinct with the mother church at its heart, the bell tower of the 1650s in front of it, the seminary, the residence of the Catholicos and the gates every pilgrim walks through. St Gregory the Illuminator raised the first church here in 301–303, on the spot where the story says Christ came down and struck the ground — Etchmiadzin means 'the Only-Begotten descended'. Master Ohanyan drew the whole precinct rather than the church alone, the way you see it from the gate, and framed it in carved scrolls. On a nardi board it is the calm end of the table.

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 godparent, a wedding blessed at Etchmiadzin, an Easter table or the friend far from home who still crosses himself when he passes a church, a handmade Armenian backgammon set with the Mother See on the cover is the backgammon gift set that needs no card. We send it at Christmas, at Easter and on 21 September. It gets opened, played and passed on.