According to biblical legends, Ararat was the place where Noah's ark moored. And this is not the only story that is associated with the greatest mountain. There is another amazing legend about the creation of the world, according to which, starting from the day the planet was formed and until today, the Caucasus has always been and is under the reliable protection of three mountain giants: Elbrus, Kazbek and Ararat.
Where is Mount Ararat? What is it and how to get to it? This article will tell about this and much more.
Mount Ararat is a perennial and indisputable symbol of the Armenian people. This is the highest massif of the entire Armenian Highland.
Symbol of the people of Armenia
Ararat is a mountain that three Asian states aspired to possess at different times: Armenia, Iran and Turkey. This is due to its location.
According to 2 treaties (Moscow and Kars), Ararat went to Turkey in 1921,however, it is still difficult for the Armenian people to come to terms with such a loss. After all, the mountain is the national symbol of Armenia. It should be noted that it is from this state that the greatness of the mountain, its height and unearthly beauty are most noticeably felt.
According to any Armenian, according to the most ancient belief, Ararat can predict the future. It is worth seeing the summit in all its glory from the very early morning, and you can be sure that the whole day will turn out well.
Location
The top of Mount Ararat, located in Turkey, is perfectly visible from the capital of Armenia. Viewpoints in Yerevan allow you to enjoy the amazing beauty of the mountains at sunset. The distance to the Armenian border is about 32 kilometers, and to the Iranian-Turkish border - about 16 kilometers.
The mountain is of volcanic origin, and this dormant volcano can become active at any time. However, local residents should not be afraid of lava flows due to the fact that the magma here is quite viscous.
Where is Mount Ararat administratively? It is located on the territory of the Turkish region Ygdir.
A bit of history
In the period 1828-1920, Ararat was part of Armenia and the Russian Empire, but as a result of the Armenian-Turkish war (1920) and the subsequent Kars Peace Treaty, it became Turkish.
Armenians used to always live near Mount Ararat, and the entire Armenian highland was part of great Armenia, which at that time was a developed ancienta state that was subsequently crushed by the Seljuk Turks. After all the actions of the Turkish military over the civilian population in 1915, there was practically no autochthonous Indo-European population left in these places, although until 1915 the Armenians here represented the absolute majority among the local residents.
Description of Mount Ararat
The mountain owes its origin, as noted above, to an extinct volcano. All its slopes are practically deserted, and slopes, steep and more gentle places are covered with many fragments of bas alt from the Cenozoic period. Once upon a time, these stones were part of a powerful lava flow that had time to weather and transform over many centuries.
The volcanic origin of the mountain is also explained by the excessive dryness of its surface. Porous rocks are fed only by the melt waters of glaciers, which in no way contributes to the growth of vegetation in the warm seasons. Only in the vicinity of the Sardar-Bulagskaya saddle, where an abundant flow of moisture breaks through the mountains, the vegetation is quite lush, there is even a cool birch grove.
How high is Mount Ararat? In fact, it has two peaks: Sis (small, with a height of 3896 meters) and Masis (large), whose height is 4420 meters. The distance between them is 11 km.
In total, there are about 30 small glaciers, among which the glacier of St. Jacob (2 km).
On the origin of the name
The name of Mount Ararat is not Armenian, andit is named after the ancient state of Urartu.
Once this name was given to the mountain by European and Russian travelers, and local Armenian residents and neighboring peoples used it in connection with the wide spread of the Russian language during the period when these territories were part of the Russian Empire.
About mountain climbing
The peoples who inhabited the suburbs of Ararat believed that climbing the mountain was a blasphemous and impudent act. In this regard, most of the climbers are foreigners.
Geographical science does not know how many Armenians climbed Ararat, but the first recorded hike to the top of the mountain in 1829, made by Alexei Zdorovenko, Johann Parrot, Hovhannes Ayvazyan, Matvey Chalpanov and Murad Poghosyan, is considered. And the first single conquest is considered to be the ascent of James Brimes in 1876.
Legends
As noted in the article, Mount Ararat was once the mooring for Noah's Ark. According to legend, several days had passed since the beginning of the flood, and Noah, unable to see with his own eyes a single patch of dry land, decided to release a dove. The bird was absent for quite a long time, and when it returned to the savior, it held a fresh olive branch in its beak. And this could mean that the water nevertheless receded and new life came. Noah, along with his family, left the glorious ark and descended into the valley, where he began to live happily. It was then, according to Christian beliefs, that the first grape bush was planted and laidthe beginning of a popular craft - winemaking.
Mount Ararat periodically attracts romantics who excavate in these places. This is due to the fact that there are rumors that in those places where the aforementioned biblical events developed, the peak, covered with a cap of eternal snow, continues to keep some unsolved secrets. Maybe the remains of that same ark are still hidden deep under the ice.
In conclusion, how to get to Mount Ararat
The most convenient and easiest way to get to this place is from Turkish Bayazet or from Yerevan.
From Armenia to Bayazet, the path runs through Georgia, where the Turkish border is crossed. The total distance by road to Ararat from Yerevan is approximately 670 kilometers.
