Armenian Backgammon Set - Snow-Capped Ararat over Khor Virap

Armenian Backgammon Set - Snow-Capped Ararat over Khor Virap

The snow is the detail that makes this one. On most carved boards Ararat is a silhouette; here the carver has worked the mountain in two tones of wood, so the pale cap sits above the dark shoulder exactly as it does on a clear morning, with the Khor Virap monastery small and solid on the ground below it and grapevines trailing round the whole scene. It is the single most photographed view in Armenia, and this handmade Armenian backgammon set has it in relief.

Every Armenian family album has this picture somewhere — usually badly framed, taken through a car window, with somebody's cousin in the corner. Having it carved properly, in wood, on something the household actually uses, does something a photograph cannot. Open the clasps, let the bronze hinges swing back, and the full 23.6" / 60 cm playing field waits underneath the mountain. Carry this hand-carved wooden backgammon board in by its cut-out handle, and the view comes to the table with you.

What's Included

• Backgammon board with bronze hinges, clasps and a cut-out carry handle
• 32 checkers made from beech and walnut wood
• A pair of dice and a carrying bag

Specifications

• Folded: 30 x 60 cm / 11.8 x 23.6"
• Open playing field: 60 x 60 cm / 23.6 x 23.6"
• Weight: 5 kg / 11 lb
• Wood: solid beech, with bronze hinges and clasps
• Handmade in Armenia

Why It Stands Out

• Mount Ararat carved in two tones of wood so the snow-capped peak reads from across the room
• Khor Virap monastery below it, with trailing grapevines around the whole scene
• Folds shut on bronze hinges and travels by its own cut-out carry handle
• A handmade Armenian backgammon board carrying the country's most familiar view

A Gift Everyone Recognises

You will not have to say a word when you hand this over. The mountain does the introduction, the monastery confirms it, and then somebody opens the board and the evening starts properly.