Armenian Backgammon Set - Snowflake Ornament in Two Tones, Ararat Outline

Armenian Backgammon Set - Snowflake Ornament in Two Tones, Ararat Outline, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Snow on the peaks, a snowflake on the cover. The top edge of this board is cut into the two summits of Ararat with the snow left in pale bare wood, and below them, in a round rope-ringed frame, a snowflake ornament stands out in the same pale wood against a dark stippled ground — an eight-petalled flower at the heart, scrolls curling out from it in every direction, leaf-tips and fleur-de-lys at the ends, all worked into the wood so the outline reads crisp from across the room. Master Hrachya Ohanyan set the frame in a field of fine carved lattice between lobed panels inside a beaded border, cut the sides in soft scallops and stained the board a warm honey brown. A handmade Armenian backgammon set from a single piece of wood at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — winter on the mountain, in two tones of one wood.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm wooden backgammon board opens on a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring worked into each half, pale points tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes and an ornate bronze hinge on the centre bar. Thirty-two checkers in light and dark wood, a dice set and the branded carrying case come with it. This is the handmade backgammon board for the winter chalet, the New Year table and the friend who says the best games are played while it snows outside.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, made from one piece, stained honey brown and varnished
• Motif: a snowflake ornament — an eight-petalled flower with curling scrolls — worked in pale wood on a dark stippled ground inside a round rope-ringed frame (two-tone); carved lattice field, lobed panels, beaded border; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: Mount Ararat silhouette — the two peaks cut into the top edge with pale snow, scalloped sides
• 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

• The board is the mountain: the Ararat outline is cut into the wood itself, snow and all — closed on a shelf it reads as sculpture before it reads as a game.
• Two tones, one wood: the pale snowflake stands against the dark ground the way frost stands on a window — worked into the wood in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, and no two boards come out the same.
• Ready for the table: full-size 23.6″ / 60 cm board, checkers in light and dark wood, dice and a carrying case — open it and play.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How big is it? Open, the board is 23.6″ / 60 cm square — the standard full size for a living-room table. Closed, it is 23.6″ × 11.8″ / 60 × 30 cm and stands on its own edge, peaks up.

Is the snowflake printed? No. The snowflake is pale beech worked into the dark ground and finished under the varnish — it will not peel or fade. The lattice field, the rope and beaded borders, the mountain edge and the wheel ornaments inside are cut into the wood by hand, and the snow on the peaks is the beech left bare.

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.

Can I add a name or a date? Yes — choose the engraving option on this page and tell us the text. A name or a date turns it into a personalized backgammon set, and it is the detail people remember years later.

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.

Snow on Ararat

Ararat keeps its snow all year: the upper cone never fully clears, which is why every Armenian painting of the mountain has a white top whatever the season. Master Ohanyan cut that snow into the top edge of this board in bare pale wood, and put a snowflake under it in the same wood — a flower of eight petals with scrolls curling out of it, the kind of ornament Armenian carvers have cut into stone crosses and church doorways for a thousand years, only here it reads as frost. Two tones, one piece of wood, and the coldest mountain in the country on a nardi board that lives by the fire.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

In 1985, National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine wood craft, introducing a new approach to the age-old traditions of woodworking. After many years of dedication, the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop was established in 2010. Every board passes through 14 stages of production, with 14 separate craftsmen leaving their mark before it reaches its finished form — a piece of wood artistry admired both in Armenia and around the world. Read the story of master Hrachya Ohanyan or explore the full Hrachya Ohanyan backgammon collection.

A Gift That Lasts Generations

For a winter birthday, a New Year table, a wedding in December or the friend who moved somewhere it never snows, a handmade Armenian backgammon set with a snowflake under the peaks of Ararat is the backgammon gift set that needs no card. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.