Mount Ararat is a sacred symbol of Armenia, which is currently located in neighboring Turkey on the territory of the Armenian Highlands. Ararat is also a popular tourist destination and a destination for various research groups, because the study of the mountain can reveal the secrets of the formation of the entire mountain system of the Central Asian region.
Mount Ararat is known throughout the world as a sacred symbol of the ancient Armenian people, and in Armenian families, boys very often receive a name in honor of this mysterious mountain. If you believe the legends, then it was to Ararat that the ark moored with people and animals who managed to survive the Flood.
Mount Ararat is a volcano that may well become more active in the near future. But due to the specific volcanic structure of Ararat, local residents should not be afraid of lava flows, since the magma of these places is very viscous.
This opinion is widespread largely because Ararat is the highest among the neighboring mountains and peaks, and the path to the mythical homeland of Noah is a short distance. Indeed, in the entire Middle East region and Asia Minor there are no such high mountains, so the assumption about the end point of the ark is the most logical. By the way, Armenians and some other Caucasian peoples consider themselves to be direct descendants of the biblical Noah.
Where is Mount Ararat and how to get there
Mount Ararat is clearly visible from Yerevan - the capital of modern Armenia. Climbing the observation platforms of the city, at sunset you can enjoy the unprecedented beauty of those places. The total distance to the Armenian border will be about 32 kilometers, and the path to the Iranian-Turkish border is even less and is equal to about 16 kilometers. Administratively, Mount Ararat is located in the Turkish region of Igdir. From 1828 to 1920, Mount Ararat was part of the Russian Empire and Armenia, but after the Armenian-Turkish war of 1920 and the subsequent Kars peace treaty, Ararat remained with Turkey. Armenians have always lived in the area of Mount Ararat, and the entire Armenian Highlands were part of Great Armenia - a developed ancient state, crushed by the Seljuq Turks. After the genocide of the civilian Armenian population by the Turkish military in 1915, there was practically no autochthonous Indo-European population left here, although until 1915 the Armenians constituted the absolute majority of local residents.
It will be most convenient for travelers to get to Mount Ararat from Yerevan or Bayazet. From Armenia to Turkish Bayazet, the route passes through Georgia, where the Turkish border is crossed. The total distance from Yerevan to Ararat by road through Georgia is approximately 670 kilometers.
Where did the name of Mount Ararat come from?
It may sound strange, but the name of Mount Ararat is not Armenian at all, but means the name of the ancient state of Urartu. The name of the mountain was given by Russian and European travelers, and the Armenians and neighboring peoples began to use this name due to the spread of the Russian language after the entry of these territories into the Russian Empire.
According to the beliefs of the peoples inhabiting the outskirts of Mount Ararat, climbing the mountain is considered a godless and very daring deed. Therefore, most of the participants in the ascent are foreigners.
Geographical science does not know how often local residents ascended Ararat, but the first recorded ascent of the mountain was made in 1829 by Johann Parrot, Alexei Zdorovenko, Hovhannes Ayvazyan, Murad Poghosyan and Matvey Chalpanov. And the first solo conquest of Ararat was decided by James Brimes in 1876.
