Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Mount Ararat and Wheat Ear in Golden Wood

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Mount Ararat and Wheat Ear in Golden Wood, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The road home runs straight into the snow on this Armenian backgammon set — carved stones, a wheat ear and the sun rising behind Ararat, in warm golden wood. The full 60 cm board — 23.6″ across — in honey-stained beech from Hrachya Ohanyan's Yerevan workshop, with checkers, dice and a case.

Inside the rope-and-bead ring the two peaks carry snow in bare wood and the sky behind them is punched into a fine grain; a road of carved stones comes up from the corner, rays of sun fan over the plain and a wheat ear stands in front, everything cut in deep relief. The ring sits between cusped panels of carved diamond lattice on a classic square board with a stepped, moulded rim, and two eternity whirls turn on the back cover. Open it and each half carries a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring, points in pale and dark wood with fleur-de-lys tips, and an ornate bronze hinge on the bar. The lighter, warmer twin of our chestnut Ararat board — for the room with pale furniture, the summer house, and the parents who want the mountain in the living room without the dark wood. Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained golden honey 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 stepped, 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

• Golden, not dark: the same landscape as our chestnut Ararat board in a warmer honey stain — choose by the room it will live in.
• A landscape in relief: peaks, road, sun and wheat cut by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, on a board finished front and back — no two the same.
• 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? Yes — the mountain, the road, the rays and the wheat ear stand out of the wood in true relief, the sky is stippled, the lattice is carved, and the whirls on the back are cut the same way. No printing anywhere; the honey 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 the case.

Bread and the Mountain

In Armenia bread and the mountain are the two things nobody jokes about. Lavash is baked in the tonir the way it was a thousand years ago, and the wheat for it grows on the plain that runs from Yerevan to the foot of Ararat. A wheat ear in front of the peaks is not decoration — it is the whole country in two signs: the harvest, and the mountain that watches over it.

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

The board for the parents' new flat, a golden wedding, or the son who finally has a table big enough — it carries the sun into the room.