Collection
The board is the oldest thing this workshop makes, and still the one that shows the craft most clearly.
A khatam backgammon board is really two objects: a case that must survive being carried, opened and closed for decades, and a playing surface that has to stay flat and true. We build both by hand. The points are cut and laid individually, the borders are made from sliced khatam rods, and the hinges and clasps are set so the board closes flush and stays closed.
Our takhteh nard boards open into two playing halves with twenty-four points. The points are cut from contrasting timber and laid one by one, not printed onto the surface. The outer case carries a khatam border on every visible edge, and the interior is finished as carefully as the exterior.
Most of our boards are dual-purpose: backgammon inside, a chessboard laid into the outer face. The sixty-four squares alternate khatam patterning with plain timber, so the board reads clearly as a playing surface while still showing the marquetry.
We work in four standard footprints, from a small board that travels easily to a large display board intended to stay on a table. Because everything is made to order, an intermediate size is usually possible. Tell us the space it has to fit.
The interior can be finished in plain lacquered timber, in inlaid marquetry, or with a hand-painted miniature across the centre. A painted interior is the most demanding option and adds significantly to the lead time, because the paint must cure fully before lacquering.
Brass hinges are let into the timber rather than screwed onto the surface, corners are mitred and reinforced, and the clasp is fitted last so it aligns with the closed board exactly. These are the details that decide whether a board survives twenty years of use.
Boards can be supplied bare or complete with playing pieces, dice and a leather or khatam dice cup. Pieces are available in inlaid timber, bone or resin depending on budget and on export requirements in your market.
Every board is corner-protected, wrapped and boxed for freight, and we can supply a fitted presentation carton where the board is going straight to a retail shelf or to a gift recipient.
Tell us what you are looking for — quantities, sizes and timing if you already know them. We reply to every enquiry within two working days.