Luxury Noah's Ark Walnut Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline, Two-Sided

Luxury Noah's Ark Walnut Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline, Two-Sided by Hrachya Ohanyan

Noah's Ark told on both covers — the family leaving the Ark on one, Noah's offering at the altar on the other — in deep relief on walnut, under Ararat's peaks left in pale sapwood. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ luxury Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, Ararat outline, two-sided. Handmade in walnut and hornbeam.

This is the board for the church committee's gift, and the collector who wants the top of the maker's range. On the first cover Noah stands with his arm raised as his family steps onto dry ground, the animals moving out below and a dove overhead; on the second he stands at the altar he built, the family kneeling round it, birds circling. Rococo scrolls filled with basket weave frame both, and a beaded border runs the rim.

Inside, pale hornbeam is let into the walnut for the points and the petal-wheel discs, with a stamped brass hinge on the bar, and there is no chequerboard — the back is the second scene. The Ark itself is carved small on the pale shoulder of the mountain, where the water left it. For the fiftieth anniversary, the church's centenary, and the collector who buys one board in a lifetime.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: walnut wood, natural colour, the peaks of Ararat in the pale sapwood; hornbeam inlay inside
• Carving: two scenes in deep relief on smooth walnut — Noah and his family leaving the Ark with the animals and a dove on the first cover, Noah's offering at the altar with the family kneeling and birds circling on the second — each inside a frame of rococo scrolls filled with basket weave, with a beaded border round the rim; the twin peaks of Mount Ararat in pale sapwood carved with snow ridges on the top edge, the Ark carved small on the mountain's shoulder; pale hornbeam points with fleur-de-lys tips and petal-wheel discs inlaid inside
• Outline: Ararat — the twin peaks of Mount Ararat along the top edge, over a scrolled body with curled corners
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Hand-carved walnut backgammon board with hornbeam inlay, a scene on each cover
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Two scenes, one story: the descent on one cover and the offering on the other — Genesis carried on round the board, with the Ark itself carved small on the mountain's shoulder.
• Snow from the tree itself: Ararat's peaks are the walnut's own pale sapwood, chosen so the summit rises in a second colour without a drop of stain.
• 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

Are both covers really carved? Yes. Both scenes are deep relief cut into the walnut — figures, animals, altar and birds standing proud of a smooth ground — with the basket-weave scrolls and the beaded border carved around them and Ararat's ridges cut into the top edge in the pale sapwood. The only inlay is inside, where hornbeam is let into the walnut for the points and discs. Nothing is printed or applied.

How is this different from the Noah board with the dove checkers? That board carries the descent on one cover and a basket-weave chequerboard on the other, and comes with the maker's cast-dove checkers. This one gives the second cover to the altar scene instead — two carved scenes, plain beech and walnut checkers.

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.