Armenian Travel Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Mount Ararat and Wheat Ear

Armenian Travel Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Mount Ararat and Wheat Ear, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Ararat, a road of stones and a wheat ear fit into the small ring of this Armenian travel backgammon set — the deep relief of the big boards, cut smaller. 15.7″ / 40 cm across, beech in a chestnut stain, hand-carved by master Hrachya Ohanyan, with checkers, dice and a carrying bag.

The peaks carry their snow in bare wood against a stippled sky, the road climbs from the corner stone by stone, sun rays fan across the plain and the wheat ear stands in front of it all — one rope-and-bead ring on a lid of carved diamond lattice with cusped panels at the ends, in the classic square outline. Two eternity whirls turn on the back cover. Inside, each half has a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring, points in pale and dark wood tipped with fleur-de-lys, and a bronze hinge on the bar. Closed, it goes in a rucksack; open, it is a real game with full-size checkers. The board for the car boot, the dacha, the student's room and the Sunday visit to the grandparents — small enough to carry, Armenian enough to be recognised from across the room. Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.

Specifications

• Size open: 40 × 40 cm / 15.7″ × 15.7″
• Size folded: 40 × 20 cm / 15.7″ × 7.9″
• Material: beech wood, stained chestnut and varnished
• Motif: Mount Ararat with a stone road, sun rays and a wheat ear in deep relief inside a rope-and-bead ring, on carved lattice; two eternity whirls on the back
• 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 bag

Why You'll Love It

• The big carving, travel-sized: the full Ararat scene in deep relief — peaks, road, sun and wheat — on a board that fits in a bag, from the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop.
• Made to move: light enough for a rucksack, solid enough to be opened a thousand times, with a bag that goes over the shoulder.
• Make it theirs: add a name or a date at checkout and it becomes a personalized backgammon set.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the carving real? It is. Small board, same tools: the mountain, road, rays and wheat ear are relief-carved by hand, the sky is stippled, the lattice is cut line by line and the whirls on the back are carved too. There is no printing; the colour is a stain 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.

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 its bag.

The Board That Travels

Armenians play nardi wherever two people and a flat surface meet — the courtyard bench, the bus station, the hospital corridor, the back seat on the road to Sevan — and the board that gets played most is never the biggest one. The workshop carves the travel size with the same scene as the full board because the mountain should not shrink just because the table did.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine wood craft in 1985 and founded his workshop in Yerevan in 2010. Every board passes through 14 stages of production and 14 pairs of hands before it is finished. Read the story of master Hrachya Ohanyan or explore the full Hrachya Ohanyan backgammon collection.

A Gift That Lasts

For a student leaving for university, a friend who drives to the lake every weekend, or a child's first proper board — with a name on it if you like.