Star Flower Travel Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline

Star Flower Travel Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

The small one. Ararat's two peaks rise from the top edge, a star flower opens in a ring of leaf scrolls beneath them, and the board is 40 cm / 15.7″ wide — a travel-size Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying bag.

This is the board that goes in the suitcase. Everything the full-size board has is here at two-thirds the width: the peaks carved along the top edge with their pale, snow-streaked slopes, the eight sharp petals with raised spines, the leaf scrolls curling round them inside a rope-and-bead ring, the diamond lattice and cusped panels on the rest of the lid. Folded, it is about the size of a hardback book.

Inside, the points are pale and dark with fleur-de-lys tips, a wheel ornament sits in a scrolled ring on each half, and the hinge on the bar is bronze. For the holiday flat, the student's room, the grandparent who travels between children — and anyone who wanted the Ararat board but not the sideboard to keep it on.

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
• Carving: eight-pointed star flower with leaf scrolls in a rope-and-bead ring on carved lattice; the two peaks of Ararat along the top edge; eternity whirls on the back
• Outline: Ararat — the top edge rises into the twin peaks of Mount Ararat
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and 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 bag

Why You'll Love It

• Full carving, small board: nothing was simplified for the size — peaks, petals, scrolls and lattice are all there, cut finer.
• Goes where you go: folded it fits a backpack or a carry-on, and the bag carries like a slim satchel for the walk to the café.
• 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

Is the carving real? Yes. The peaks are carved along the top edge, the flower and its scrolls stand in relief inside the ring, and the lattice is cut into the beech around them — the same work as the full-size board, at a smaller scale. Stain and varnish go on afterwards; nothing is printed.

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 bag.

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.