Armenian Backgammon Set - Ornament and Carved Panels

Armenian Backgammon Set - Ornament and Carved Panels

The carver did not treat this lid as one surface. He divided it — a bold ornament cut deep at the centre, and around it separate panels of interlaced carving, each one worked to its own edges and finished on its own terms. It is the way Armenian church facades have been organised for centuries: not one continuous pattern, but a set of framed compartments that add up to something larger than any of them. On a board this size, that is what makes a 23.6" lid feel like a much bigger object.

Look closely and you will notice that no two panels behave identically — they rhyme rather than repeat, which is the difference between a pattern that was carved and one that was printed. This is a luxury backgammon set with a lot of hours visibly in it. Then the clasps come open, the bronze hinges swing, and the full 23.6" / 60 cm playing field appears: a plain, generous field, all that ornament shut safely underneath while two people get on with the argument. Carry this hand-carved wooden backgammon board in by its cut-out handle and put it somewhere people will walk past it.

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

• A bold ornament cut deep at the centre, framed by separate panels of interlaced carving
• Panels that rhyme rather than repeat — the signature of hand work
• Folds shut on bronze hinges and travels by its own cut-out carry handle
• A luxury Armenian backgammon board composed the way a carved facade is composed

A Gift For Someone Who Looks Twice

Give it to the person who notices how things are put together. They will find the centre first, then the panels, then the small differences between them — and by that point somebody else will have set up the checkers and started asking whether they intend to play or just admire it.