Snowflake Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline

Snowflake Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

Full size, twin peaks, one snowflake. Ararat is carved along the top edge, and beneath it an eight-fold snowflake sits pale on a dark stippled ground. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying case.

This is the one for the family table — the size everyone grew up with, the mountain everyone recognises. The peaks are cut into the board itself, their slopes streaked pale like snow; below them the snowflake opens from an eight-petal flower into arms of scrolls and leaf tips, every line kept light while the ground around it is darkened and stippled. A rope-and-bead ring frames it, and the lid beyond is diamond lattice in cusped panels.

Open it and the game side is calm: fleur-de-lys-tipped points in pale and dark wood, a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring on each half, an ornate bronze hinge on the bar, two eternity whirls on the back. For the household that plays after dinner, the present that reads as Armenian across a room, and the buyer who wanted the Ararat board at table size.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained dark chestnut and varnished, the snowflake left pale
• Carving: eight-fold snowflake — an eight-petal flower with arms of curled scrolls — in low relief, left pale on a dark stippled ground, in a rope-and-bead ring; the two peaks of Ararat along the top edge; diamond lattice with cusped panels; 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 case

Why You'll Love It

• Recognised at once: the twin peaks in the top edge tell any Armenian what this is before they have seen the pattern.
• Pale pattern, dark ground: the snowflake is left the colour of the wood and everything around it is darkened, so the lid reads crisply even in low light.
• 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 shaped from the board's own beech, the snowflake is left standing while the ground round it is cut back and stippled, and the ring and lattice are carved into the same surface. Stain and varnish come last, with the pattern kept pale. 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 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.