Pomegranate Tree Travel Backgammon Set with Classic Outline

Pomegranate Tree Travel Backgammon Set with Classic Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

The small one, with a tree on it: a pale pomegranate tree hung with fruit on a dark round ground, and a board 40 cm / 15.7″ wide — a travel-size Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying bag.

This is the board for the bag, the car boot and the cabin at the lake. The tree fills its ring: a broad trunk splitting into branches that curl back on themselves, each hung with a small pomegranate and a leaf, all left the cream colour of the beech against a ground stained dark. A rope-and-bead ring closes it, and the rest of the lid has the carving of the big boards — cusped honeycomb panels, diamond lattice, rope borders — at a size that fits under one arm.

Inside it is a complete game, only smaller: pale and dark points with fleur-de-lys tips, a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring on each half, an ornate bronze hinge on the bar, eternity whirls on the back. The checkers and dice ride in the bag with it. For the student going abroad, the holiday flat, and the grandfather who wants a board by his chair.

Specifications

• Size open: 40 × 40 cm / 15.7″ × 15.7″
• Size folded: 40 × 20 cm / 15.7″ × 7.9″
• Material: beech wood, ground stained dark chestnut and varnished; the tree left pale
• Carving: pomegranate tree with curling branches, small fruit and leaves, pale beech on a dark-stained ground inside a rope-and-bead ring; cusped panels of honeycomb stippling and diamond lattice; rope borders; eternity whirls on the back
• Outline: Classic — a square frame with a moulded rim
• 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

• Carry-on size: closed, it goes in a fabric bag that carries like a slim satchel — the carving of the big boards at a size that travels.
• A tree, not a symbol: the pomegranate tree is drawn whole — trunk, branches, fruit, leaves — pale on dark, so it reads from across the table.
• 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 tree carved? The tree is a flat, two-tone picture: the pale beech itself showing through a dark-stained ground, with no relief to catch dust. The ring round it, the honeycomb panels, the lattice and the rope borders are carved into the same lid, and the stain and varnish go on last. Nothing is printed or applied.

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.