Etchmiadzin Cathedral Walnut Backgammon Set with Classic Outline

Etchmiadzin Cathedral Walnut Backgammon Set with Classic Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

Etchmiadzin Cathedral carved in relief — belfry, domes and arched door, stone by stone — on a smooth walnut panel in a lobed cartouche. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline. Handmade in walnut, with 32 checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded case.

This is the board for the family that goes to Etchmiadzin at Easter, the priest's study, and the player who wants the Mother Cathedral in real walnut. The building is cut as it stands: the belfry with its little rotunda in front, the main drum and pointed dome behind, the smaller domes at the corners, the blocks of the walls and the flags of the courtyard each given their line. It sits on a smooth panel inside an ogee-arched cartouche with a rope-and-bead ring, chip-carved diamond lattice beyond.

Open, the walnut is plain and the work is line: cross-hatched points with fleur-de-lys tips, a petal wheel in a scrolled ring on each half, a brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark on the bar; on the back, two eternity signs in full relief, their blades raised from stippled discs. For the christening, the Etchmiadzin wedding, and the player who wants the cathedral in the grain.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: walnut wood, natural colour, varnished
• Carving: Etchmiadzin Cathedral — belfry with rotunda, main drum and pointed dome, side domes, arched door, stone-block walls and flagged courtyard — in relief on a smooth panel inside an ogee-arched cartouche with a rope-and-bead ring; chip-carved diamond lattice on the outer fields; rope borders; two eternity signs in full relief in stippled discs on the back; petal wheels in scrolled rings and cross-hatched points in line work inside
• Outline: Classic — straight edges and square corners
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze 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

• Stone by stone: belfry, domes, walls and courtyard are carved in relief on a smooth panel, so the cathedral reads as a building, not a badge.
• Grain through the domes: the walnut is left its own colour, so the figure of the wood runs through the cathedral and the lattice alike and deepens with age.
• 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

Which church is this? The Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, seat of the Armenian Church since 301 and among the oldest cathedrals anywhere, shown from the west with its belfry in front and the main dome behind. It is carved in relief into natural walnut on a smooth panel and varnished; the back carries two eternity signs in full relief. Nothing is printed or applied.

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.