Mt. Ararat
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mount Ararat or , ''Ararat''; or is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in the extreme east of Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and
Little Ararat Little Ararat or Lesser Ararat ( tr, Küçük Ağrı; hy, Փոքր Արարատ, translit=Pok'r Ararat; ku, Agiriyê Biçûk) also known as Mount Sis (), is the sixth-tallest peak in Turkey. It is a large satellite cone located on the eastern ...
. Greater Ararat is the highest peak in Turkey and the Armenian Highland with an elevation of ; Little Ararat's elevation is . The Ararat massif is about wide at ground base. The first recorded efforts to reach Ararat's summit were made in the Middle Ages, and Friedrich Parrot, Khachatur Abovian, and four others made the first recorded ascent in 1829. In Europe, the mountain has been called by the name Ararat since the Middle Ages, as it began to be identified with "
mountains of Ararat In the Book of Genesis, the mountains of Ararat (Biblical Hebrew , Tiberian ', Septuagint: ) is the term used to designate the region in which Noah's Ark comes to rest after the Great Flood A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a ...
" described in the Bible as the resting place of Noah's Ark, despite contention that does not refer specifically to a Mount Ararat. Despite lying outside the borders of modern Armenia, the mountain is the principal national symbol of Armenia and has been considered a sacred mountain by Armenians. It is featured prominently in Armenian literature and art and is an icon for
Armenian irredentism The Armenian national movement ( hy, Հայ ազգային-ազատագրական շարժում ''Hay azgayin-azatagrakan sharzhum'') included social, cultural, but primarily political and military movements that reached their height during Worl ...
. It is depicted on the coat of arms of Armenia along with Noah's Ark.


Political borders

Mount Ararat forms a near-
quadripoint A quadripoint is a point on Earth where four distinct territories meet. The territories can be of different types, such as national and provincial. In North America, several such places are commonly known as Four Corners. Several examples exist ...
between Turkey, Armenia, Iran, and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan. Its summit is located some west of both the Iranian border and the border of the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, and south of the Armenian border. The Turkish–Armenian–Azerbaijani and Turkish–Iranian–Azerbaijani tripoints are some 8 km apart, separated by a narrow strip of Turkish territory containing the E99 road which enters Nakhchivan at . From the 16th century until 1828 the range was part of the Ottoman-Persian border; Great Ararat's summit and the northern slopes, along with the eastern slopes of Little Ararat were controlled by Persia. Following the 1826–28 Russo-Persian War and the Treaty of Turkmenchay, the Persian controlled territory was ceded to the Russian Empire. Little Ararat became the point where the Turkish, Persian, and Russian imperial frontiers converged. The current international boundaries were formed throughout the 20th century. The mountain came under Turkish control during the 1920
Turkish–Armenian War The Turkish–Armenian war ( hy, Հայ-թուրքական պատերազմ), known in Turkey as the Eastern Front ( tr, Doğu Cephesi) of the Turkish War of Independence, was a conflict between the First Republic of Armenia and the Turkish Na ...
. It formally became part of Turkey according to the 1921 Treaty of Moscow and Treaty of Kars. In the late 1920s, Turkey crossed the Iranian border and occupied the eastern flank of Lesser Ararat as part of its effort to quash the Kurdish Ararat rebellion,. during which the Kurdish rebels used the area as a safe haven against the Turkish state. Iran eventually agreed to cede the area to Turkey in a territorial exchange. The Iran-Turkey boundary skirts east of Lesser Ararat, the lower peak of the Ararat massif. the mountain is open to climbers only with "military permission". The procedure to obtain the permission involves submitting a formal request to a Turkish embassy for a special "Ararat visa", and it is mandatory to hire an official guide from the Turkish Federation for Alpinism. Access is still limited, even for climbers who obtain the necessary permission, and those who venture off the approved path may be fired upon without warning.


Names and etymology


Ararat

''Ararat'' ( Western Armenian pronunciation: ''Ararad'') is the
Biblical Hebrew Biblical Hebrew (, or , ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite branch of Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Israel, roughly west of ...
name (אררט ''ʾrrṭ''; Tiberian vocalization אֲרָרָט ''ʾărārāṭ''; Pesher Genesis הוררט ''hōrārāṭ''), cognate with
Assyrian Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...
Urartu, of a kingdom that existed in the Armenian Highlands in the 9th–6th centuries BC. In the 19th century Wilhelm Gesenius speculated an origin from ''Arjanwartah'', an unattested Sanskrit word without any clear cognates, supposedly meaning "holy ground." Some Armenian historians, such as
Ashot Melkonyan Ashot A. Melkonyan (born 16 February 1961 in Akhalkalak, Javakhk, Georgian SSR) is Doctor of History, Professor, Academician of Academy of Sciences of Armenia. Since 2002 he is the Director of the Institute of History of National Academy of Scienc ...
, link the origin of the word "Ararat" to the prefix of a number of placenames in the Armenian Highland ("ar–"), including the Armenians. The mountain is known as Ararat in European languages, however, none of the native peoples have traditionally referred to the mountain by that name. This mountain was not called by the name Ararat until the Middle Ages; early Armenian historians considered the biblical Ararat to be in
Corduene Corduene hy, Կորճայք, translit=Korchayk; ; romanized: ''Kartigini'') was an ancient historical region, located south of Lake Van, present-day eastern Turkey. Many believe that the Kardouchoi—mentioned in Xenophon’s Anabasis as havin ...
.


Masis

The traditional Armenian name is ''Masis'' (Մասիս ; sometimes ''Massis''). However, nowadays, the terms Masis and Ararat are both widely, often interchangeably, used in Armenian. The folk etymology expressed in Movses Khorenatsi's ''
History of Armenia The history of Armenia covers the topics related to the history of the Armenia, Republic of Armenia, as well as the Armenians, Armenian people, the Armenian language, and the regions historically and Armenian Highlands, geographically consid ...
'' derives the name from king Amasya, the great-grandson of the legendary Armenian patriarch
Hayk Hayk ( hy, Հայկ, ), also known as Hayk Nahapet (, , ), is the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation. His story is told in the '' History of Armenia'' attributed to the Armenian historian Moses of Chorene (Movses Khorenatsi ...
, who is said to have called the mountain ''Masis'' after himself. Various etymologies have been proposed. Russian orientalist
Anatoly Novoseltsev Anatoly Petrovich Novoseltsev (Анатолий Петрович Новосельцев; 1933, Irkutsk – 1995) was a Russian orientalist who brought to light and translated into Russian a slew of obscure Persian and Arab documents relating to ...
suggested that ''Masis'' derives from Middle Persian ''masist'', "the largest." According to Armenian historian Sargis Petrosyan the ''mas'' root in Masis means "mountain", cf. Proto-Indo-European *mņs-. According to archaeologist Armen Petrosyan, the name originates from the Māšu (Mashu) mountain mentioned in the '' Epic of Gilgamesh'', which sounded like ''Māsu'' in Assyrian. According to this theory, the name meant "twin," referring to the twin peaks of the mountain. ''Erkuahi'', a land mentioned in Urartian texts and identified with Mt. Ararat, could reflect the native Armenian-language form of this same name (compare to Armenian ''erku'' (երկու, meaning "two")).


Ağrı and Agirî

The Turkish name is ''Ağrı Dağı'' (; ota, اغـر طﺎﻍ ''Ağır Dağ''), i.e. "Mountain of Ağrı". Ağrı literally translates to "pain" or "sorrow". This name has been known since the late Middle Ages. The 17th century explorer Evliya Çelebi referred to it as Ağrî in the ''
Seyahatnâme ''Seyahatname'' ( ota, سياحتنامه, Seyāḥatnāme, book of travels) is the name of a literary form and tradition whose examples can be found throughout centuries in the Middle Ages around the Islamic world, starting with the Arab travel ...
''. The Kurdish name of the mountain is ''Çiyayê Agirî'' , which translates to "fiery mountain". An alternative Kurdish name is ''Grîdax'', which is composed of the word ''grî'', presumably a corrupted version of the Kurdish ''girê'', meaning hill, or ''Agirî'', and ''dax'', which is the Turkish ''dağ'', meaning mountain. Despite the supposed meaning in Turkish ''Ağrı Dağı'' as "pain mountain" and Kurdish ''Çiyayê Agirî'' as "fiery mountain", some linguists underline a relationship between the mountain's name and a village on its slopes called '' Ağori'' that was decimated after a landslide in 1840. The exact meaning of these related names remains unknown.


Other names

The traditional Persian name is , , ', literally the "mountain of Noah". In classical antiquity, particularly in
Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
's ''
Geographica The ''Geographica'' (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά ''Geōgraphiká''), or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Ancient Greek, Greek and attributed to Strabo, an educated citizen ...
'', the peaks of Ararat were known in ancient Greek as Ἄβος (''Abos'') and Νίβαρος (''Nibaros'').


Geography

Mount Ararat is located in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey between the provinces of Ağrı and Iğdır, near the border with Iran, Armenia and Nakhchivan
exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
of Azerbaijan, between the Aras and
Murat Murat may refer to: Places Australia * Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia * Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area France * Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier * Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal Elsewhe ...
rivers."Ağrı – Mount Ararat"
Republic of Turkey Ministry of culture and tourism (''kultur.gov.tr''). 2005.
The Serdarbulak lava plateau, at 2600 meters of elevation, separates the peaks of Greater and Little Ararat. Mount Ararat's summit is located some west of the Turkey- Iran border and south of the Turco- Armenian border. The Ararat plain runs along its northwest to western side.


Elevation

Ararat is the third most prominent mountain in West Asia. An elevation of for Mount Ararat is given by some encyclopedias and reference works such as ''
Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary ''Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary'' (''Webster's Geographical Dictionary'', ''Webster's New Geographical Dictionary'') is a gazetteer by the publisher Merriam-Webster. The latest edition was released in 2001, edited by Daniel J. Hopkins a ...
'' and ''Encyclopedia of World Geography''. However, a number of sources, such as the United States Geological Survey and numerous topographic maps indicate that the alternatively widespread figure of is probably more accurate. The current elevation may be as low as due to the melting of its snow-covered
ice cap In glaciology, an ice cap is a mass of ice that covers less than of land area (usually covering a highland area). Larger ice masses covering more than are termed ice sheets. Description Ice caps are not constrained by topographical features ...
.


Summit ice cap

The
ice cap In glaciology, an ice cap is a mass of ice that covers less than of land area (usually covering a highland area). Larger ice masses covering more than are termed ice sheets. Description Ice caps are not constrained by topographical features ...
on the summit of Mount Ararat has been shrinking since at least 1957. In the late 1950s, Blumenthal observed that there existed 11 outlet glaciers emerging from a summit snow mass that covered about . At that time, it was found that the present glaciers on the summit of Ararat extend as low as an elevation of on the north-facing slope, and an elevation of on its south-facing slope. Using pre-existing
aerial imagery Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircra ...
and remote sensing data, Sarıkaya and others studied the extent of the ice cap on Mount Ararat between 1976 and 2011. They discovered that this ice cap had shrunk to by 1976 and to by 2011. They calculated that between 1976 and 2011, the ice cap on top of Mount Ararat had lost 29% of its total area at an average rate of ice loss of per year over 35 years. This rate is consistent with the general rates of retreat of other Turkish summit glaciers and ice caps that have been documented by other studies. According to a 2020 study by Yalcin, "if the glacial withdrawals continue with the same acceleration, the permanent glacier will likely turn into a temporary glacier by 2065." Blumenthal estimated that the
snow line The climatic snow line is the boundary between a snow-covered and snow-free surface. The actual snow line may adjust seasonally, and be either significantly higher in elevation, or lower. The permanent snow line is the level above which snow wil ...
had been as low as in elevation during the Late Pleistocene. Such a snow line would have created an ice cap of in extent. However, he observed a lack of any clear evidence of prehistoric
moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...
s other than those which were close to the 1958 glacier tongues. Blumenthal explained the absence of such moraines by the lack of confining ridges to control glaciers, insufficient debris load in the ice to form moraines, and their burial by later eruptions. Years later, Birman observed on the south-facing slopes a possible moraine that extends at least in altitude below the base of the 1958 ice cap at an elevation of . He also found two morainal deposits that were created by a Mount Ararat valley glacier of Pleistocene, possibly
Wisconsinan The Wisconsin Glacial Episode, also called the Wisconsin glaciation, was the most recent glacial period of the North American ice sheet complex. This advance included the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, which nucleated in the northern North American Cor ...
(
Last Glacial Maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Late Glacial Maximum, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent. Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Eur ...
) age, downvalley from
Lake Balık Lake Balık ( tr, Balık Gölü, literally "fish lake", ku, Gola Masiyan), is a lava-dammed freshwater lake in Ağrı Province, eastern Turkey. It has one of the highest elevations of the country's lakes. Geography The lake is situated on the di ...
. The higher moraine lies at an altitude of about and the lower moraine lies at an altitude of about . The lower moraine occurs about downstream from Lake Balık. Both moraines are about high. It is suspected that Lake Balık occupies a glacial basin.


Geology

Mount Ararat is a polygenic, compound
stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...
. Covering an area of , it is the largest volcanic edifice within the region. Along its northwest–southeast trending long axis, Mount Ararat is about long and is about long along its short axis. It consists of about of dacitic and
rhyolitic Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...
pyroclastic Pyroclastic rocks (derived from the el, πῦρ, links=no, meaning fire; and , meaning broken) are clastic rocks composed of rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions. The individual rock fragments are known as pyroc ...
debris and dacitic, rhyolitic, and basaltic lavas. Mount Ararat consists of two distinct volcanic cones, Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat (
Little Ararat Little Ararat or Lesser Ararat ( tr, Küçük Ağrı; hy, Փոքր Արարատ, translit=Pok'r Ararat; ku, Agiriyê Biçûk) also known as Mount Sis (), is the sixth-tallest peak in Turkey. It is a large satellite cone located on the eastern ...
). The western volcanic cone, Greater Ararat, is a steep-sided volcanic cone that is larger and higher than the eastern volcanic cone. Greater Ararat is about wide at the base and rises about above the adjacent floors of the Iğdir and Doğubeyazıt basins. The eastern volcanic cone, Lesser Ararat, is high and across. These volcanic cones, which lie apart, are separated by a wide north–south-trending crack. This crack is the surface expression of an extensional fault. Numerous parasitic cones and
lava dome In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of eruptions on ...
s have been built by flank eruptions along this fault and on the flanks of both of the main volcanic cones. Mount Ararat lies within a complex, sinistral
pull-apart basin In geology, a basin is a region where subsidence generates accommodation space for the deposition of sediments. A pull-apart basin is a structural basin where two overlapping (en echelon) strike-slip faults or a fault bend creates an area of cru ...
that originally was a single, continuous depression. The growth of Mount Ararat partitioned this depression into two smaller basins, the Iğdir and Doğubeyazıt basins. This pull-apart basin is the result of
strike-slip In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
movement along two en-echelon fault segments, the Doğubeyazıt–Gürbulak and Iğdir Faults, of a sinistral strike–slip fault system. Tension between these faults not only formed the original pull-apart basin, but created a system of faults, exhibiting a horsetail splay pattern, that control the position of the principal volcanic eruption centers of Mount Ararat and associated linear belt of parasitic volcanic cones. The strike-slip fault system within which Mount Ararat is located is the result of north–south convergence and tectonic compression between the Arabian Platform and
Laurasia Laurasia () was the more northern of two large landmasses that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent from around ( Mya), the other being Gondwana. It separated from Gondwana (beginning in the late Triassic period) during the breakup of Pan ...
that continued after the Tethys Ocean closed during the Eocene epoch along the Bitlis–Zagros suture.


Geological history

During the early Eocene and early Miocene, the collision of the Arabian platform with Laurasia closed and eliminated the Tethys Ocean from the area of what is now Anatolia. The closure of these masses of continental crust collapsed this ocean basin by middle Eocene and resulted in a progressive shallowing of the remnant seas, until the end of the early Miocene. Post-collisional tectonic convergence within the collision zone resulted in the total elimination of the remaining seas from East Anatolia at the end of early Miocene, crustal shortening and thickening across the collision zone, and uplift of the East Anatolian–Iranian plateau. Accompanying this uplift was extensive deformation by faulting and folding, which resulted in the creation of numerous local basins. The north–south compressional deformation continues today as evidenced by ongoing faulting, volcanism, and seismicity. Within Anatolia, regional volcanism started in the middle-late Miocene. During the late Miocene– Pliocene period, widespread volcanism blanketed the entire East Anatolian–Iranian plateau under thick volcanic rocks. This volcanic activity has continued uninterrupted until historical times. Apparently, it reached a climax during the latest Miocene–Pliocene, 6 to 3 Ma. During the
Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...
, the volcanism became restricted to a few local volcanoes such as Mount Ararat. These volcanoes are typically associated with north–south tensional fractures formed by the continuing north–south shortening deformation of Anatolia. In their detailed study and summary of the Quaternary volcanism of Anatolia, Yilmaz et al. recognized four phases to the construction of Mount Ararat from volcanic rocks exposed in glacial valleys deeply carved into its flanks. First, they recognized a ''fissure eruption phase'' of Plinian-subPlinian fissure eruptions that deposited more than of pyroclastic rocks and a few basaltic
lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or und ...
s. These volcanic rocks were erupted from approximately north northwest–south southeast-trending extensional faults and fissures prior to the development of Mount Ararat. Second, a ''cone-building phase'' began when the volcanic activity became localized at a point along a fissure. During this phase, the eruption of successive flows of lava up to thick and pyroclastic flows of andesite and dacite composition and later eruption of basaltic lava flows, formed the Greater Ararat cone with a low conical profile. Third, during a ''climatic phase'', copious flows of andesitic and basaltic lavas were erupted. During this phase, the current cones of Greater and Lesser Ararat were formed as eruptions along subsidiary fissures and cracks and flank occurred. Finally, the volcanic eruptions at Mount Ararat transitioned into a ''flank eruption phase'', during which a major north–south-trending fault offset the two cones that developed along with a number of subsidiary fissures and cracks on the volcano's flanks. Along this fault and the subsidiary fissures and cracks, a number of parasitic cones and domes were built by minor eruptions. One subsidiary cone erupted voluminous basalt and andesite lava flows. They flowed across the Doğubeyazıt plain and along the southerly flowing Sarısu River. These lava flows formed black ʻaʻā and pāhoehoe lava flows that contain well preserved
lava tube A lava tube, or pyroduct, is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave. Formation A lava tube is a type of lava ca ...
s. The radiometric dating of these lava flows yielded radiometric ages of 0.4, 0.48 and 0.81 Ma. Overall, radiometric ages obtained from the volcanic rocks erupted by Mount Ararat range from 1.5 to 0.02 Ma.


Recent volcanic and seismic activity

The chronology of Holocene volcanic activity associated with Mount Ararat is documented by either archaeological excavations, oral history, historical records, or a combination of these data, which provide evidence that volcanic eruptions of Mount Ararat occurred in 2500–2400 BC, 550 BC, possibly in 1450 AD and 1783 AD, and definitely in 1840 AD. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that explosive eruptions and pyroclastic flows from the northwest flank of Mount Ararat destroyed and buried at least one Kura–Araxes culture settlement and caused numerous fatalities in 2500–2400 BC. Oral histories indicated that a significant eruption of uncertain magnitude occurred in 550 BC and minor eruptions of uncertain nature might have occurred in 1450 AD and 1783 AD. According to the interpretation of historical and archaeological data, strong earthquakes not associated with volcanic eruptions also occurred in the area of Mount Ararat in 139, 368, 851–893, and 1319 AD. During the 139 AD earthquake, a large
landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...
that caused many casualties and was similar to the 1840 AD landslide originated from the summit of Mount Ararat.


1840 eruption

A
phreatic eruption A phreatic eruption, also called a phreatic explosion, ultravulcanian eruption or steam-blast eruption, occurs when magma heats ground water or surface water. The extreme temperature of the magma (anywhere from ) causes near-instantaneous evapo ...
occurred on Mount Ararat on July 2, 1840 and pyroclastic flow from radial fissures on the upper north flank of the mountain and a possibly associated earthquake of magnitude 7.4 that caused severe damage and numerous casualties. Up to 10,000 people died in the earthquake, including 1,900 villagers in the village of Akhuri (Armenian: Akori, modern Yenidoğan) who were killed by a gigantic landslide and subsequent debris flow. In addition, this combination of landslide and debris flow destroyed the Armenian monastery of St. Jacob near Akori, the town of Aralik, several villages, and Russian military barracks. It also temporarily dammed the Sevjur (Metsamor) River.


Ascents

The 13th century missionary William of Rubruck wrote that "Many have tried to climb it, but none has been able."


Religious objections

The Armenian Apostolic Church was historically opposed to ascents of Ararat on religious grounds.
Thomas Stackhouse Thomas Stackhouse (1677–1752) was an English theologian and controversialist. Life The son of John Stackhouse (d. 1734), who became rector of Boldon in County Durham, and uncle of John Stackhouse, he was born at Witton-le-Wear where his fath ...
, an 18th-century English theologian, noted that "All the Armenians are firmly persuaded that Noah's ark exists to the present day on the summit of Mount Ararat, and that in order to preserve it, no person is permitted to approach it." In response to its first ascent by Parrot and Abovian, one high-ranking Armenian Apostolic Church clergyman commented that to climb the
sacred mountain Sacred mountains are central to certain religions, and are usually the subjects of many legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that it is closest to heaven or other religious realms. Many rel ...
was "to tie the womb of the mother of all mankind in a dragonish mode." By contrast, in the 21st century to climb Ararat is "the most highly valued goal of some of the patriotic pilgrimages that are organized in growing number from Armenia and the Armenian diaspora."


First ascent

The first recorded ascent of the mountain in modern times took place on . The Baltic German naturalist Friedrich Parrot of the University of Dorpat arrived at
Etchmiadzin Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...
in mid-September 1829, almost two years after the Russian capture of Yerevan, for the sole purpose of exploring Ararat. The prominent Armenian writer Khachatur Abovian, then a deacon and translator at Etchmiadzin, was assigned by Catholicos Yeprem, the head of the Armenian Church, as interpreter and guide. Parrot and Abovian crossed the Aras River into the district of Surmali and headed to the Armenian village of Akhuri on the northern slope of Ararat, above sea level. They set up a base camp at the Armenian monastery of St. Hakob some higher, at an elevation of . After two failed attempts, they reached the summit on their third attempt at 3:15 p.m. on October 9, 1829. The group included Parrot, Abovian, two Russian soldiers – Aleksei Zdorovenko and Matvei Chalpanov – and two Armenian Akhuri villagers – Hovhannes Aivazian and Murad Poghosian. Parrot measured the elevation at using a mercury barometer. This was not only the first recorded ascent of Ararat, but also the second highest elevation climbed by man up to that date outside of Mount
Licancabur Licancabur () is a stratovolcano on the border between Bolivia and Chile, south of the Sairecabur volcano and west of Juriques. Part of the Andean Central Volcanic Zone, it has a prominent, -high cone. A summit crater containing Licancab ...
in the Chilean Andes. Abovian dug a hole in the ice and erected a wooden cross facing north. Abovian also picked up a chunk of ice from the summit and carried it down with him in a bottle, considering the water holy. On , Parrot and Abovian together with the Akhuri hunter Sahak's brother Hako, acting as a guide, climbed up Lesser Ararat.


Later notable ascents

Other early notable climbers of Ararat included Russian climatologist and meteorologist
Kozma Spassky-Avtonomov Kozma Fyodorovich Spassky-Avtonomov (russian: Козьма Фёдорович Спасский-Автономов) was born in 1807, in Zakharovka, now Lipetsk Oblast and died in 1890. He was a Russian researcher of the region of Baku, then a city ...
(August 1834), Karl Behrens (1835), German mineralogist and geologist
Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich (11 December 18061 July 1886) was a German mineralogist and geologist. Full member of St Petersburg Academy of Sciences (hon. member since 1866). Biography He was born in Berlin and educated at the local universit ...
(29 July 1845), British politician
Henry Danby Seymour Henry Danby Seymour (1 July 1820 – 4 August 1877) was a British gentleman and Liberal Party politician. Life Seymour was the eldest son of Henry Seymour and wife Jane Hopkinson. Alfred Seymour was his brother. He matriculated at Christ Churc ...
(1848) and British army officer Major Robert Stuart (1856). Later in the 19th century, two British politicians and scholars—
James Bryce James Bryce may refer to: *James Bryce (geologist) (1806–1877), Irish naturalist and geologist * James Bryce (footballer) (1884–1916), Scottish footballer *James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce (1838–1922), British jurist, historian and politician ...
(1876) and
H. F. B. Lynch Henry Finnis Blosse Lynch, Master of Arts, MA, FRGS (18 April 1862 – 24 November 1913) was a British traveller, businessman, and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Parliament of the United Kingdom, Member of Parliament. Biography Lynch was the only ...
(1893)—climbed the mountain. The first winter climb was by Turkish alpinist
Bozkurt Ergör Bozkurt is a Turkish word and it may refer to: Surname * Demet Bozkurt (born 1996), Turkish women's footballer *Emine Bozkurt (born 1967), Dutch politician of Turkish descent * Gizem Bozkurt (born 1993), Turkish swimmer *Mahmut Esat Bozkurt Turkish ...
, the former president of the
Turkish Mountaineering Federation Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...
, who climbed the peak on 21 February 1970.


Resting place of Noah's Ark


Origin of the tradition

Noah's Ark landed on the "
mountains of Ararat In the Book of Genesis, the mountains of Ararat (Biblical Hebrew , Tiberian ', Septuagint: ) is the term used to designate the region in which Noah's Ark comes to rest after the Great Flood A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a ...
" (
Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
he, הָרֵי אֲרָרָט, ''hare ararat''), according to . Many historians and Bible scholars agree that "Ararat" is the Hebrew name of Urartu, the geographical predecessor of Armenia; they argue that the word referred to the wider region at the time and not specifically to Mount Ararat. The phrase is translated as "mountains of Armenia" (''montes Armeniae'') in the Vulgate, the fourth century Latin translation of the Bible. Nevertheless, Mount Ararat is traditionally considered the resting place of Noah's Ark, and, thus, considered a biblical mountain. Mount Ararat has been associated with the Genesis account since the 11th century, and Armenians began to identify it as the ark's landing place during that time.
F. C. Conybeare Frederick Cornwallis Conybeare, (14 September 1856 – 9 January 1924) was a British Oriental studies, orientalist, Fellow of University College, Oxford, and Professor of Theology at the University of Oxford. Biography Conybeare was born in Co ...
wrote that the mountain was "a center and focus of pagan myths and cults… and it was only in the eleventh century, after these had vanished from the popular mind, that the Armenian theologians ventured to locate on its eternal snows the resting-place of Noah's ark." Franciscan missionary William of Rubruck is usually considered the earliest reference for the tradition of Mount Ararat as the landing place of the ark in European literature. English traveler John Mandeville is another early author who mentioned Mount Ararat, "where Noah's ship rested, and it is still there."


Prevalence of the tradition

Most Christians identify Mount Ararat with the biblical "mountains of Ararat," "largely because it would have been the first peak to emerge from the receding flood waters", and it is where most of Western Christianity place the landing of Noah's Ark. A 1722 biblical dictionary by Austin Calmet and the 1871 Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary both point to Mount Ararat as the place where the ark rested.original title: ''Dictionnaire historique, critique, chronologique, geographique et literal de la Bible''. English translation: American missionary
H. G. O. Dwight Harrison Gray Otis Dwight (1803–1862) was an American Congregational missionary. Biography Harrison Gray Otis Dwight was born on November 22, 1803 in Conway, Massachusetts. His father was Seth Dwight (1769–1825) and mother was Hannah Stro ...
wrote in 1856 that it is "the general opinion of the learned in Europe" that the Ark landed on Mount Ararat.
James Bryce James Bryce may refer to: *James Bryce (geologist) (1806–1877), Irish naturalist and geologist * James Bryce (footballer) (1884–1916), Scottish footballer *James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce (1838–1922), British jurist, historian and politician ...
wrote that the ark rested upon a "mountain in the district which the Hebrews knew as Ararat, or Armenia" in an 1878 article for the
Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
, and he added that the biblical writer must have had Mount Ararat in mind because it is so "very much higher, more conspicuous, and more majestic than any other summit in Armenia." Pope John Paul II declared in his homily in Yerevan's St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral: "We are close to Mount Ararat, where tradition says that the Ark of Noah came to rest."
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow Kirill or Cyril (russian: link=Russian, Кирилл, chu, , secular name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, russian: link=no, Владимир Михайлович Гундяев; born 20 November 1946) is a Russian Orthodox bishop. He became ...
, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, also mentioned Mount Ararat as the resting place of Noah's Ark in his speech at the
Etchmiadzin Cathedral Etchmiadzin Cathedral) or simply Etchmiadzin. Alternatively spelled as Echmiadzin, Ejmiatsin, and Edjmiadsin. ( hy, Էջմիածնի մայր տաճար, Ēǰmiatsni mayr tačar) is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located i ...
during his visit to Armenia in 2010. Those critical of this view point out that Ararat was the name of the country at the time when Genesis was written, not specifically the mountain. Arnold wrote in his 2008 Genesis commentary, "The location 'on the mountains' of Ararat indicates not a specific mountain by that name, but rather the mountainous region of the land of Ararat."


Searches

Ararat has traditionally been the main focus of the searches for Noah's Ark. Augustin Calmet wrote in his 1722 biblical dictionary, "It is affirmed, but without proof, that there are still remains of Noah's ark on the top of this mountain; but M. de Tournefort, who visited this spot, has assured us there was nothing like it; that the top of mount Ararat is inaccessible, both by reason of its great height, and of the snow which perpetually covers it." Archaeological expeditions, sometimes supported by evangelical and millenarian churches, have been conducted since the 19th century in search of the ark. According to a 1974 book around 200 people from more than 20 countries claimed to have seen the Ark on Ararat since 1856. A fragment from the ark supposedly found on Ararat is on display at the museum of
Etchmiadzin Cathedral Etchmiadzin Cathedral) or simply Etchmiadzin. Alternatively spelled as Echmiadzin, Ejmiatsin, and Edjmiadsin. ( hy, Էջմիածնի մայր տաճար, Ēǰmiatsni mayr tačar) is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located i ...
, the center of the Armenian Church. Despite numerous reports of ark sightings (e.g.
Ararat anomaly The Ararat anomaly is a structure appearing on photographs of the snowfields near the summit of Mount Ararat, Turkey, and advanced by some Christian believers as the remains of Noah's Ark. Location The anomaly is located on the northwest c ...
) and rumors, "no scientific evidence of the ark has emerged." Searches for Noah's Ark are considered by scholars an example of pseudoarchaeology.
Kenneth Feder Kenneth L. "Kenny" Feder (born August 1, 1952) is a professor of archaeology at Central Connecticut State University and the author of several books on archaeology and criticism of pseudoarchaeology such as '' Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Scien ...
writes, "As the flood story itself is unsupported by any archaeological evidence, it is not surprising that there is no archaeological evidence for the existence of an impossibly large boat dating to 5,000 years ago."


Significance for Armenians


Symbolism

Despite lying outside the borders of modern Armenia, Ararat has historically been associated with Armenia, and Armenians have being called by some authors the "people of Ararat". It is widely considered the country's principal national symbol and brand. The image of Ararat, usually framed within a nationalizing discourse, is ubiquitous in everyday
material culture Material culture is the aspect of social reality grounded in the objects and architecture that surround people. It includes the usage, consumption, creation, and trade of objects as well as the behaviors, norms, and rituals that the objects creat ...
in Armenia.
Tsypylma Darieva Tsypylma Darieva (russian: Цыпылма Дариева; born 1967) is an anthropologist and ethnographer. Her research is focused on anthropology of migration, transnational diaspora, homecoming, collective memory, public places, post-socialist ...
arguues that Armenians have "a sense of possession of Ararat in the sense of symbolic cultural property." There is historical and modern
mountain worship Mountain worship (sangaku shinko, ) is a faith that regards mountains as sacred and objects of worship. Description Mountain worship is a form of Nature worship that seems to have evolved from the reverence that ethnic groups closely associate ...
around it among Armenians. Ararat is known as the " holy mountain" of the Armenian people. It was principal to the pre-Christian Armenian mythology, where it was the home of the gods. With the rise of Christianity, the mythology associated with pagan worship of the mountain was lost. In the early 20th century, the Italian traveler
Luigi Villari Luigi Villari (1876–1959), son of Pasquale Villari Pasquale Villari (3 October 1827 – 11 December 1917) was an Italian historian and politician. Early life and publications Villari was born in Naples and took part in the risings of 1848 ther ...
wrote, "Almost the whole history of the Armenian people centres round Mount Ararat." Ararat was the geographical center of ancient Armenian kingdoms. One scholar defined the historic Greater Armenia (''Armenia Major'') as "the area about 200 miles
20 km The 20K run (20 kilometres, or approximately 12.4 miles) is a long distance foot race. It is a rarely held race that is not recognized as an Olympic event. The event held IAAF world championship status in 2006 only, when the existing IAAF World ...
in every direction from Mount Ararat." In 19th-century era of
romantic nationalism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...
, when an Armenian state did not exist, Mount Ararat symbolized the historical Armenian nation-state. In 1861 Armenian poet
Mikael Nalbandian Mikayel Nalbandian ( hy, Միքայել Նալբանդյան; ) was a Russian-Armenian writer, poet, political theorist and activist. Nalbandian was born in Nakhichevan-on-Don, an Armenian town in southern Russia, and traveled extensively, al ...
, witnessing the
Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
, wrote to
Harutiun Svadjian Harutiun Svadjian (1831 in Constantinople, Ottoman Turkey – 1874 in Constantinople, Ottoman Turkey), was an Armenian writer, political activist, teacher, and considered one of the founders of Armenian political humorist literature. Biograph ...
in a letter from Naples: " Etna and Vesuvius are still smoking; is there no fire left in the old volcano of Ararat?"


Myth of origin

The
Genesis flood narrative The Genesis flood narrative (chapters 6–9 of the Book of Genesis) is the Hebrew version of the universal flood myth. It tells of God's decision to return the universe to its pre- creation state of watery chaos and remake it through the micro ...
was linked to the Armenian
myth of origin An origin myth is a myth that describes the origin of some feature of the natural or social world. One type of origin myth is the creation or cosmogonic myth, a story that describes the creation of the world. However, many cultures have sto ...
by the early medieval historian Movses Khorenatsi. In his ''
History of Armenia The history of Armenia covers the topics related to the history of the Armenia, Republic of Armenia, as well as the Armenians, Armenian people, the Armenian language, and the regions historically and Armenian Highlands, geographically consid ...
'', he wrote that Noah and his family first settled in Armenia and later moved to
Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
.
Hayk Hayk ( hy, Հայկ, ), also known as Hayk Nahapet (, , ), is the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation. His story is told in the '' History of Armenia'' attributed to the Armenian historian Moses of Chorene (Movses Khorenatsi ...
, a descendant of
Japheth Japheth ( he, יֶפֶת ''Yép̄eṯ'', in pausa ''Yā́p̄eṯ''; el, Ἰάφεθ '; la, Iafeth, Iapheth, Iaphethus, Iapetus) is one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis, in which he plays a role in the story of Noah's drunk ...
, a son of Noah, revolted against
Bel BEL can be an abbreviation for: * The ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code for Belgium * ''BEL'' or bell character in the C0 control code set * Belarusian language, in the ISO 639-2 and SIL country code lists * Bharat Electronics Limited, an Indian stat ...
(the biblical Nimrod) and returned to the area around Mount Ararat, where he established the roots of the Armenian nation. He is thus considered the legendary founding father and the name giver of the Armenian people. According to
Razmik Panossian Razmik Panossian ( hy, Ռազմիկ Փանոսեան, born 1964) is a Canadian-Armenian historian and political scientist. Career An ethnic Armenian, Panossian was born in Beirut, Lebanon and raised in Canada in a family "engaged with rmenianco ...
, this legend "makes Armenia the cradle of all civilisation since Noah's Ark landed on the 'Armenian' mountain of Ararat. it connects Armenians to the biblical narrative of human development. it makes Mount Ararat the national symbol of all Armenians, and the territory around it the Armenian homeland from time immemorial."


Coat of arms of Armenia

Mount Ararat has been depicted on the coat of arms of Armenia consistently since 1918. The First Republic's coat of arms was designed by architect Alexander Tamanian and painter Hakob Kojoyan. This coat of arms was readopted by the legislature of the Republic of Armenia on April 19, 1992, after Armenia regained independence. Ararat is depicted along with the ark on its peak on the
shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...
on an orange background. The
emblem of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The emblem of the Armenian SSR was devised from an initial prototype sketch by Martiros Saryan, a famous Armenian painter, and was adopted in 1937 by the government of the Armenian SSR. Overview The emblem prominently features Mount Ararat, rega ...
(Soviet Armenia) was created by the painters Martiros Saryan and Hakob Kojoyan in 1921. Mount Ararat is depicted in the center and makes up a large portion of it. File:Coat of Arms of the First Republic of Armenia.png, First Republic (1918–1920) File:Emblem of the Armenian SSR.svg, Soviet Republic (1921–91) File:Coat of arms of Armenia.svg, Current Republic (1992–) Ararat also appeared on the coat of arms of the Armenian Oblast and the
Georgia-Imeretia Governorate The Georgia-Imeretia Governorate (russian: Грузино-Имеретинская губерния) was a short-lived governorate (''guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, administered from Tiflis (Tbilisi). Roughly co ...
(
image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
), subdivisions of the Russian Empire that included the northern flanks of the mountain. They were adopted in 1833 and 1843, respectively.


Symbol of genocide and territorial claims

In the aftermath of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Ararat came to represent the destruction of the native Armenian population of eastern Turkey ( Western Armenia) in the national consciousness of Armenians.
Ari L. Goldman Ari L. Goldman (born September 22, 1949) is an American professor and journalist. He is professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former reporter for ''The New York Times''. Early life and education Goldman attended the Rabbi Jacob ...
noted in 1988, "In most Armenian homes in the modern diaspora, there are pictures of Mount Ararat, a bittersweet reminder of the homeland and national aspirations." Ararat has become a symbol of Armenian efforts to reclaim its "lost lands", i.e. the areas west of Ararat that are now part of Turkey that had significant Armenian population before the genocide. Adriaans noted that Ararat is featured as a sanctified territory for the Armenians in everyday banal irredentism. Stephanie Platz wrote, "Omnipresent, the vision of Ararat rising above Yerevan and its outskirts constantly reminds Armenians of their putative ethnogenesis … and of their exile from Eastern Anatolia after the Armenian genocide of 1915." Turkish political scientist Bayram Balci argues that regular references to the Armenian Genocide and Mount Ararat "clearly indicate" that the border with Turkey is contested in Armenia. Since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Armenian government has not made official claims to any Turkish territory, however the Armenian government has avoided "an explicit and formal recognition of the existing Turkish-Armenian border." In a 2010 interview with ''
Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'', Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was asked whether Armenia wants "Mount Ararat back." Sargsyan, in response, said that "No one can take Mount Ararat from us; we keep it in our hearts. Wherever Armenians live in the world today, you will find a picture of Mount Ararat in their homes. And I feel certain that a time will come when Mount Ararat is no longer a symbol of the separation between our peoples, but an emblem of understanding. But let me make this clear: Never has a representative of Armenia made territorial demands. Turkey alleges this—perhaps out of its own bad conscience?" The most prominent party to lay claims to eastern Turkey is the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun). which claims it as part of what it considers United Armenia. In various settings, several notable individuals such as German historian
Tessa Hofmann Tessa Hofmann (Savvidis) (born 15 December 1949, Bassum, Lower Saxony) is a scholar of Armenian studies and sociology, PhD, research scholar at the Free University of Berlin. Biography She studied at the Department of Slavonic Languages and Liter ...
, Slovak conservative politician František Mikloško, Lithuanian political scientist and Soviet dissident
Aleksandras Štromas Alexander Shtromas ( lt, Aleksandras Štromas; 4 April 1931 in Kaunas, Lithuania – 12 June 1999 in Chicago) was a prominent Lithuanian political scientist, dissident, professor and author. Alexander Štromas was a cousin of Irena Veisaitė, Holo ...
have spoken in support of Armenian claims over Mt. Ararat.


Cultural depictions

Levon Abrahamian Levon H. Abrahamian ( hy, Լևոն Աբրահամյան; born January 2, 1947) is an Armenian anthropologist and historian. Biography and career Abrahamian was born in Yerevan, Soviet Armenia on January 2, 1947. He graduated from Yerevan State U ...
noted that Ararat is visually present for Armenians in reality (it can be seen from many houses in Yerevan and settlements in the Ararat plain), symbolically (through many visual representations, such as on Armenia's coats of arms), and culturally—in numerous and various nostalgic poetical, political, architectural representation. The first three postage stamps issued by Armenia in 1992 after achieving independence from the Soviet Union depicted Mount Ararat. Mount Ararat has been depicted on various
Armenian dram The dram ( hy, դրամ; sign: ֏; abbreviation: դր.; ISO code: AMD) is the currency of Armenia, and is also used in the neighboring unrecognized Republic of Artsakh. It was historically subdivided into 100 luma (). The Central Bank of Armen ...
banknotes issued in 1993–2001; on the
reverse Reverse or reversing may refer to: Arts and media * ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001 * ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film * ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian crime-drama film * ''Reverse'' (Morandi album), 2005 * ''Reverse'' ...
of the 10 dram banknotes issued in 1993, on the reverse of the 50 dram banknotes issued in 1998, on the obverse of the 100 and 500 dram banknotes issued in 1993, and on the reverse of the 50,000 dram banknotes issued in 2001. It was also depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 100
lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...
banknotes of 1972–1986. Ararat is depicted on the logos of two of Armenia's leading universities—the Yerevan State University and the American University of Armenia. It is depicted on the logos of Football Club Ararat Yerevan (since the Soviet times) and the Football Federation of Armenia. The logo of
Armavia Armavia ( hy, Արմավիա) was an airline that existed between 1996 and 2013. It was Armenia's flag carrier, with its head office on the grounds of Zvartnots International Airport in Zvartnots, Armenia, near Yerevan. It operated international ...
, Armenia's now defunct flag carrier, also depicted Ararat. The publications of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party in Lebanon ('' Ararad'' daily) and California, U.S. ('' Massis'' weekly) are both named for the mountain. The
Ararat Ararat or in Western Armenian Ararad may refer to: Personal names * Ararat ( hy, Արարատ), a common first name for Armenian males (pronounced Ararad in Western Armenian) * Ararat or Araratian, a common family name for Armenians (pronounced A ...
brandy, produced by the
Yerevan Brandy Company Yerevan Brandy Company ( (''Yerevani Konyaki Gortsaran'')), commonly known with its famous brand "ArArAt", is the leading enterprise of Armenia for the production of cognac. It was founded in 1887, during the period of the Russian Empire. After t ...
since 1887, is considered the most prestigious Eastern European brandy. Hotels in Yerevan often advertise the visibility of Ararat from their rooms, which is seen as a major advantage for tourists.


In visual art

;European Ararat was depicted in the books of European, including many British, travelers in the 18th–19th centuries who visited Armenia. File:Tournefort Ararat from Ejmiatsin.png, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, 1718 File:"View of the Fortress of Erivan and Ararat" by Robert Ker Porter.png,
Robert Ker Porter Sir Robert Ker Porter, KCH (1777–1842) was a Scottish artist, author, diplomat and traveller. Known today for his accounts of his travels in Russia, Spain, and Persia, he was one of the earliest panorama painters in Britain, was appointed hi ...
, 1821 File:View of Ararat and the Monastery of Echmiadzin.png, "View of Ararat and the Monastery of Echmiadzin", from the 1846 English translation of Friedrich Parrot's ''Journey to Ararat'' File:"Great and Little Ararat from the North-East" by James Bryce.png,
James Bryce James Bryce may refer to: *James Bryce (geologist) (1806–1877), Irish naturalist and geologist * James Bryce (footballer) (1884–1916), Scottish footballer *James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce (1838–1922), British jurist, historian and politician ...
, 1877 File:"Ararat from the lake at Edgmiatsin" Lynch.png,
H. F. B. Lynch Henry Finnis Blosse Lynch, Master of Arts, MA, FRGS (18 April 1862 – 24 November 1913) was a British traveller, businessman, and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Parliament of the United Kingdom, Member of Parliament. Biography Lynch was the only ...
, 1901
;Armenian According to one source, the first Armenian artist to depict the mountain was Ivan Aivazovsky, who created a painting of Ararat during his visit to Armenia in 1868. Other major Armenians artists who painted Ararat include
Yeghishe Tadevosyan Yeghishe Martirosi Tadevosyan ( hy, Եղիշե Մարտիրոսի Թադևոսյան; September 24, 1870 — January 22 1936) was a Soviet Armenian painter, associated with the Peredvizhniki and Mir Iskusstva movements. He was known for his lands ...
,
Gevorg Bashinjaghian Gevorg Bashinjaghian ( hy, Գևորգ Բաշինջաղյան; – 4 October 1925) was an Armenian painter who had significant influence on Armenian landscape painting. Life Bashinjaghian was born on 16 September 1857 in a small town of S ...
, Martiros Saryan, and Panos Terlemezian. File:Valley of Mount Ararat by Ivan Aivazovsky (1882).jpg, Ivan Aivazovsky, ''Valley of Mount Ararat'', 1882 File:Y. Tadevosyan. Mounth Ararat from Ejmiadzin.jpg,
Yeghishe Tadevosyan Yeghishe Martirosi Tadevosyan ( hy, Եղիշե Մարտիրոսի Թադևոսյան; September 24, 1870 — January 22 1936) was a Soviet Armenian painter, associated with the Peredvizhniki and Mir Iskusstva movements. He was known for his lands ...
, ''Ararat from Ejmiatsin'', 1895 File:Bashindzhagian ararat.jpg,
Gevorg Bashinjaghian Gevorg Bashinjaghian ( hy, Գևորգ Բաշինջաղյան; – 4 October 1925) was an Armenian painter who had significant influence on Armenian landscape painting. Life Bashinjaghian was born on 16 September 1857 in a small town of S ...
, 1912 File:Արարատը աշնանը (1929).jpg, Panos Terlemezian, 1929


In literature

Rouben Paul Adalian suggested that "there is probably more poetry written about Mount Ararat than any other mountain on earth." Travel writer Rick Antonson described Ararat as the "most fabled mountain in the world."


Armenian

Mount Ararat is featured prominently in Armenian literature. According to Meliné Karakashian, Armenian poets "attribute to it symbolic meanings of unity, freedom, and independence." According to Kevork Bardakjian, in Armenian literature, Ararat "epitomizes Armenia and Armenian suffering and aspirations, especially the consequences of the 1915 genocide: almost total annihilation, loss of a unique culture and land ..and an implicit determination never to recognize the new political borders." The last two lines of Yeghishe Charents's 1920 poem "I Love My Armenia" ( Ես իմ անուշ Հայաստանի) read: "And in the entire world you will not find a mountaintop like Ararat's. / Like an unreachable peak of glory I love my Mount Masis." In a 1926 poem dedicated to the mountain Avetik Isahakyan wrote: "Ages as though in second came, / Touched the grey crest of Ararat, / And passed by...! ..It's now your turn; you too, now, / Stare at its high and lordly brow, / And pass by...!" Mount Ararat is the most frequently cited symbol in the poetry of Hovhannes Shiraz. In collection of poems, ''Knar Hayastani'' (Lyre of Armenia) published in 1958, there are many poems "with very strong nationalist overtones, especially with respect to Mount Ararat (in Turkey) and the irredentism it entailed." In one such poem, "Ktak" (Bequest), Shiraz bequeaths his son Mt. Ararat to "keep it forever, / As the language of us Armenians, as the pillar of your father’s home." The first lines of Paruyr Sevak's 1961 poem "We Are Few..." ( Քիչ ենք, բայց հայ ենք) read: "We are few, but they say of us we are Armenians. / We do not think ourselves superior to anyone. / Clearly we shall have to accept / That we, and only we, have an Ararat" In one short poem
Silva Kaputikyan Silva Kaputikyan ( hy, ) (20 January 1919 – 25 August 2006) was an Armenian poet and political activist. One of the best-known Armenian writers of the twentieth century, she is recognized as "the leading poetess of Armenia" and "the grand lad ...
compares Armenia to an "ancient rock-carved fortress", the towers of which are Ararat and
Aragats Mount Aragats ( hy, Արագած, ) is an isolated four-peaked volcano massif in Armenia. Its northern summit, at above sea level, is the highest point of the Lesser Caucasus and Armenia. It is also one of the highest points in the Armenian Hi ...
.


Non-Armenian

English Romantic poet William Wordsworth imagines seeing the ark in the poem "Sky-prospect — From the Plain of France." In his '' Journey to Arzrum'' ( Путешествие в Арзрум; 1835–36), the celebrated Russian poet
Aleksandr Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
recounted his travels to the Caucasus and Armenia at the time of the 1828–29 Russo-Turkish War.
Russian Symbolist Russian symbolism was an intellectual and artistic movement predominant at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. It arose separately from European symbolism, emphasizing mysticism and ostranenie. Literature Influences Primary ...
poet Valery Bryusov often referred to Ararat in his poetry and dedicated two poems to the mountain, which were published in 1917. Bryusov saw Ararat as the embodiment of antiquity of the Armenian people and their culture. Russian poet Osip Mandelstam wrote fondly of Ararat during his 1933 travels in Armenia. "I have cultivated in myself a sixth sense, an 'Ararat' sense," the poet wrote, "the sense of an attraction to a mountain." During his travels to Armenia, Soviet Russian writer Vasily Grossman observed Mount Ararat from Yerevan standing "high in the blue sky." He wrote that "with its gentle, tender contours, it seems to grow not out of the earth but out of the sky, as if it has condensed from its white clouds and its deep blue. It is this snowy mountain, this bluish-white sunlit mountain that shone in the eyes of those who wrote the Bible." In ''The Maximus Poems'' (1953) American poet Charles Olson, who grew up near the Armenian neighborhood in Worcester, Massachusetts, compares the Ararat Hill near his childhood home to the mountain and "imagines he can capture an Armenian's immigrant perspective: the view of Ararat Hill as Mount Ararat." The world renowned Turkish-Kurdish writer
Yaşar Kemal Yaşar Kemal (born Kemal Sadık Gökçeli; 6 October 1923 – 28 February 2015) was a Turkish writer and human rights activist and one of Turkey's leading writers. He received 38 awards during his lifetime and had been a candidate for the Nobel ...
's 1970 book entitled '' Ağrı Dağı Efsanesi'' (''The Legend of Mount Ararat'') is about a local myth about a poor boy and the governor's daughter. Several major episodes in '' Declare'' (2001) by Tim Powers take place on Mount Ararat. In the book, it is the focal point of supernatural happenings.


In popular culture


In music

*"Holy Mountains", the 8th track of the album '' Hypnotize'' (2005) by System of a Down, an American rock band composed of four Armenian Americans, "references Mount Ararat ..and details that the souls lost to the Armenian Genocide have returned to rest here." *"Here's to You Ararat" is a song from the 2006 album ''How Much is Yours'' of
Arto Tunçboyacıyan Arto Tunçboyacıyan ( hy, Արտո Թունջբոյաջյան; hyw, Արթօ Թունճպոյաճեան, Art'ō T'unjpoyajean; born August 4, 1957) is a United States-based avant-garde folk and jazz multi-instrumentalist and singer of Armenian ...
's Armenian Navy Band. *"Sunrise on Ararat" is a song from the 1996 album ''First Call'' of
First Call "First Call" is a bugle call with three distinct meanings. U.S. military use At a U.S. military installation it is a pre-reveille "courtesy" signal, sounded around 05:50, originally to assemble the trumpeters to deliver the reveille that would b ...
an American Contemporary Christian music group. The songs features the 10 time Grammy winner group Take 6 .


In film

*The 2002 film ''
Ararat Ararat or in Western Armenian Ararad may refer to: Personal names * Ararat ( hy, Արարատ), a common first name for Armenian males (pronounced Ararad in Western Armenian) * Ararat or Araratian, a common family name for Armenians (pronounced A ...
'' by Armenian- Canadian filmmaker
Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan (; hy, Աթոմ Եղոյեան, translit=Atom Yeghoyan; born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. Egoyan m ...
features Mount Ararat prominently in its symbolism. *The 2011 documentary film ''
Journey to Ararat ''Journey to Ararat'' ( et, Teekond Araratile) is a 2011 Estonian documentary film directed, written, and produced by Riho Västrik. In the film, Västrik travels to Armenia and Turkey with Estonian scholar Erki Tammiksaar to retrace the footste ...
'' on Parrot and Abovian's expedition to Ararat was produced in Estonia by filmmaker
Riho Västrik Riho Västrik (born August 4, 1965) is an Estonian filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, journalist, and historian. Biography Between 1988 and 2000, Västrik studied at the University of Tartu, where he received his bachelor's degree in history and ...
. It was screened at the
Golden Apricot International Film Festival The ''Golden Apricot'' Yerevan International Film Festival (GAIFF) ( hy, «Ոսկե Ծիրան» Երևանի միջազգային կինոփառատոն) is an annual film festival held in Yerevan, Armenia. The festival was founded in 2004 w ...
in Yerevan in 2013.


Places named for Ararat

;In Armenia *In Armenia, four settlements are named after the mountain's two names: Ararat and Masis. All are located in the Ararat Plain. First, the village of Davalu was renamed
Ararat Ararat or in Western Armenian Ararad may refer to: Personal names * Ararat ( hy, Արարատ), a common first name for Armenian males (pronounced Ararad in Western Armenian) * Ararat or Araratian, a common family name for Armenians (pronounced A ...
in 1935, followed by Tokhanshalu being renamed Masis in 1945, and the workers town of Davalu's nearby cement factory also being renamed
Ararat Ararat or in Western Armenian Ararad may refer to: Personal names * Ararat ( hy, Արարատ), a common first name for Armenian males (pronounced Ararad in Western Armenian) * Ararat or Araratian, a common family name for Armenians (pronounced A ...
in 1947. The latter became a city in 1962. The railway town of Ulukhanlu was renamed Masis in 1950, while the former village/town of Ulukhanlu, renamed Hrazdan and then Masis in 1969. The two merged to form the urban-type settlement of Masis, the current town, in 1971. *There were previously administrative divisions (''shrjan'' or '' raion'') called Ararat and Masis (called Vedi until 1968), formed in 1930 and 1968, respectively. They became a part of the province (''marz'') of Ararat in the 1995. *The name is also used in two dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church: the Araratian Pontifical Diocese and the Diocese of Masyatsotn, encompassing capital Yerevan and the Ararat province, respectively. ;Elsewhere *The Turkish province of Ağrı was named after the Turkish name of the mountain in 1927, while the provincial capital city of Karaköse was renamed to Ağrı in 1946. *In the United States, a river in Virginia and North Carolina was named Ararat after the mountain no later than 1770. An unincorporated community in North Carolina was later named after the river. A township and a mountain in Pennsylvania are called Ararat. *In the Australian state of Victoria, a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
was named Ararat in 1840. Its local government area is also called
Ararat Ararat or in Western Armenian Ararad may refer to: Personal names * Ararat ( hy, Արարատ), a common first name for Armenian males (pronounced Ararad in Western Armenian) * Ararat or Araratian, a common family name for Armenians (pronounced A ...
. *
96205 Ararat 96 may refer to: * 96 (number) * one of the years 96 BC, AD 96, 1996, 2096, etc. Places * Ninety Six, South Carolina * Ninety-Six District, a former judicial district in the Carolinas, USA * Ninety Six National Historic Site, in Ninety Six, So ...
is an
asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...
named in the mountain's honor. It was discovered in 1992 by
Freimut Börngen Freimut Börngen (; 17 October 1930 – 19 June 2021) was a German astronomer and a prolific discoverer of minor planets. A few sources give his first name wrongly as "Freimuth". The Minor Planet Center credits him as F. Borngen. He studied ga ...
and
Lutz D. Schmadel Lutz Dieter Schmadel (2 July 1942, in Berlin – 21 October 2016) was a German astronomer and a prolific discoverer of asteroids, who worked at the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (ARI) of the University of Heidelberg. His special interest was th ...
at
Tautenburg Observatory The Karl Schwarzschild Observatory (german: Karl-Schwarzschild-Observatorium) is a German astronomical observatory in Tautenburg near Jena, Thuringia. It was founded in 1960 as an affiliated institute of the former German Academy of Sciences a ...
in Germany. The name was proposed by Börngen.


States

*Besides Ararat being the Hebrew version of Urartu, this Iron Age state is often referred to as the "Araratian Kingdom" or the "Kingdom of Ararat" (, ''Arartyan t’agavorut’yun'') in Armenian historiography.
Levon Abrahamian Levon H. Abrahamian ( hy, Լևոն Աբրահամյան; born January 2, 1947) is an Armenian anthropologist and historian. Biography and career Abrahamian was born in Yerevan, Soviet Armenia on January 2, 1947. He graduated from Yerevan State U ...
argues that this name gives it a "biblical and an Armenian touch." *The
First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...
, the first modern Armenian state that existed between 1918 and 1920, was sometimes called the Araratian Republic or the Republic of Ararat ( hy, Արարատյան Հանրապետություն, ''Araratyan hanrapetut’yun'') as it was centered in the Ararat plain. *In 1927 the Kurdish nationalist party
Xoybûn Xoybûn or Khoyboun ( ku, ,Xoybûn خۆیبوون) was a Kurdish nationalism, Kurdish nationalist political party, that is known for leading the Ararat rebellion, commanded by Ihsan Nuri. Many Armenians joined the movement as well, the party was a ...
led by
Ihsan Nuri Ihsan Nuri, also known as Ihsan Nuri Pasha ( ku, Îhsan Nûrî Paşa ,ئیحسان نووری پاشا), 1892 or 1893, Bitlis – 25 March 1976, Tehran) was a Kurdish soldier and politician, former officer of the Ottoman and Turkish Army, ...
, fighting an
uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
against the Turkish government, declared the independence of the Republic of Ararat ( ku, Komara Agiriyê), centered around Mount Ararat.


Gallery

File:Aras River, Turkey-Armenia-Iran Border Region.JPG, Seen from the International Space Station, 8 July 2011 File:NEO ararat big.jpg, From the Space Shuttle, 18 March 2001 File:MontArarat.jpg File:Monasterio Khor Virap, Armenia, 2016-10-01, DD 05.jpg, View of Ararat from Khor Virap, Armenia File:Kohrvirab.jpg, View of Ararat with the Khor Virap in the front, Armenia File:MountArarat.jpg, View of Ararat from Iğdır, Turkey File:Ağrı Dağı - Doğubeyazıt, Ağrı.jpg, From Doğubeyazıt File:Iğdırdan Ağrı Dağı.jpg, From Iğdır File:Büyük ve Küçük Ağrı Dağı.jpg, From Nakhchivan


See also

*Mount Alvand *
Kurdish melodies "''Kurdish melodies'' ( hy, Քրդական եղանակներ, K'rdakan yeghanakner, translation=Kurdish melodies, ku, Awazên Kurdî) is a collection of Kurdish folk songs collected and transcribed by Armenian composer Komitas during field work ...
* Mount Judi


Notes


References


Citations


Sources


General works cited in the article

* * * *


Specific works on Ararat

* * * * * * * * * *


Books on Armenia with Ararat in their titles

* * * * * * * * *


External links

* *
NASA Earth Observatory page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ararat, Mount Mountains of Turkey Stratovolcanoes of Turkey Five-thousanders of the Armenian Highlands Armenian Highlands Highest points of countries Landforms of Iğdır Province Landforms of Ağrı Province Mythological mountains Sacred mountains National symbols of Armenia Important Bird Areas of Turkey