MOUNT ARARAT

'Mount Ararat' (, , ) is the tallest peak in Turkey. This snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone is located in the Iğdır Province, near the northeast corner of Turkey, 16 km (10 miles) west of the Iranian and 32 km (20 miles) south of the Armenian border.
Technically, Ararat is a stratovolcano, formed of lava flows and pyroclastic ejecta. A smaller 3,896 m (12,782 ft) cone, Little Ararat (, ), rises from the same base, southeast of the main peak sometimes called in and in . The lava plateau stretches out between the two pinnacles. The last activity on the mountain was a major earthquake in July 1840 centered around the Ahora Gorge, a northeast trending chasm that drops 1,825 metres (6,000 ft) from the top of the mountain.

Contents

Names

History

The Ararat anomaly

Symbolism for Armenians

Elevation

Climbing Mount Ararat

References in Art and Literature

Gallery

See also

Footnotes

Sources

External links

Names

The Armenians say that Noah named it, when the Ark rested between its two peaks, and looking forth at the receding waters of the Flood he saw the first land emerge and exclaimed, "Yerivan!" which means, in Armenian, "It is seen!". ^[2]
In many languages except Kurdish and Turkish, the mountain is referred to as Ararat. In Abrahamic religions, the mountain is the place Noah landed after the flood^[3].
The Turks call it Ağrı Dağı ^[4][5] (Mountain of Pain)^[6][7], and Kurds call it the Çîyayê Agirî (Mountain of Fire),^[8] probably a reference to its volcanic activity.

History

Over the centuries, the area has been contested territory between several states. The first unified state to rule the region surrounding the mountain was ancient Urartu. After the decline of Urartu following invasions by Scythians and the Medes in 585 BC, a semi-independent Armenian state emerged under the rule of the Orontid Dynasty, the members of which frequently intermarried with their overlords, the Achaemenid Persians. After the defeat of the Achaemenids by Alexander the Great in 330 BC, the Orontids gained autonomy, albeit under Macedonian influence.
Antiochus the Great briefly subjugated Armenia in 201 BC, ending Orontid rule in the region. After the defeat of Antiochus in the Battle of Magnesia, a new independent Armenian Kingdom emerged in 198 BC that lasted for over six centuries, until 428, when it was briefly being annexed to the Roman Empire by Trajan from 114 to 118. Following the partition of the Armenian Kingdom between the Roman Empire and Sassanid Persia in 428, the region was a constant battleground between the two, and afterwards between the Arab Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire.
Ararat was retaken by a new Armenian Kingdom under the Bagratuni Dynasty early in the ninth century A.D., which was annexed by Byzantium in 1045, which then lost the territory to the Seljuk Turks following the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. The Georgian Kingdom took the region from the Seljuks from the late 12th century to the early 13th century, until various Mongol rulers of the Ilkhanate, including Tamerlane, took control of the area in the 13th and 14th centuries. The region was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1517 and often fought over and taken by the Safavids.

Dr. Friedrich Parrot, with the help of Khachatur Abovian, was the first explorer in modern times to reach the summit of Mount Ararat, subsequent to the onset of Russian rule in 1829. He was followed in 1856 by a group of five explorers led by Major Robert Stuart.
In 1918, in the aftermath of World War I, the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the October Revolution, the area became part of the Democratic Republic of Armenia, but the republic was short-lived. With the invasion of the Red Army, the area became part of the Soviet Union. Following the Treaty of Kars in 1923, the area was divided up between Turkey and the USSR, and the new border, which became internationally recognised, placed Ararat on the Turkish side of the border. At that time, Armenia was joined together with Georgia and Azerbaijan as part of the Transcaucasian SFSR. When the TSFSR was dissolved in 1936 and each of the three countries became separate Soviet Republics (Armenian SSR, Azerbaijan SSR, and Georgian SSR), Armenia depicted Ararat on its coat of arms. Turkey protested against this symbolic gesture on the grounds that Ararat was part of its territory, but the Kremlin refused to take action.
Mount Ararat has been the subject of search attempts to recover Noah's Ark. In the 1950s, the Frenchman De Navarre claimed to have found a piece of wood from the ark, but subsequent scientific dating showed it to be too recent. Another famous searcher for the ark on Mount Ararat was astronaut James Irwin, who walked on the moon in 1971. The story of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat is an important feature of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The Ararat anomaly

Main articles: Ararat anomaly

The Ararat anomaly is an interesting feature located on the northwest corner of the Western Plateau of Mount Ararat (approximately ) at about 4,724 meters (15,500 feet), some 2.2 km (1.4 miles) west of the 5,137 m (16,854 ft) summit, on the edge of what appears from the photographs to be a steep downward slope. It is claimed by a number of Biblical literalists that this anomaly is the remains of Noah's Ark (from the Old Testament).

Symbolism for Armenians

Ararat rises from a flat plain and dominates the skyline of Armenia's capital, Yerevan. Since ancient times, Ararat has been revered by the Armenians as their spiritual home. Today, it is the national symbol of Armenia, where it is sometimes called 'Masis' (Մասիս). Mount Ararat is featured in the center of the Coat of Arms of Armenia. The mountain is often depicted by Armenian artists on paintings, obsidian engravings, backgammon boards and other artifacts. From Yerevan, and throughout much of the country, citizens and tourists get a clear glimpse of both peaks, Mount Ararat and Little Ararat (Sis). Khor Virap, a monastery located just across the border from Turkey, is particularly popular with tourists for its view of the mountain.

Elevation

An elevation of 5,165 m (16,946 ft) for Mount Ararat is given by some authorities, but others, including Encyclopedia Britannica give 5,137 m (16,854 ft). Public domain and verifiable SRTM data and a 2007 GPS measurement not only show that 5,137 m is more accurate, but also both suggest that the true elevation may be lower still. 5,137 m is also supported by detailed topographic mapping (see summit map).

Climbing Mount Ararat

The climb is long, but there is a fairly easy route from the south in late summer for climbers who are familiar with the use of axe and crampons. Snow covers the last 400 m (¼ mile) year-round. There are two possible campsites on the mountain, and the glacier begins around 4,800 m (15,750 ft). The Turkish government requires a climbing permit and use of a certified Turkish guide. Arrangements can take two months to complete.

References in Art and Literature

★ ''Ararat (film)'' is a 2002 film by Atom Egoyan about the Armenian Genocide.

★ The mountain was the setting for the legend of the ''ten thousand martyrs of Mount Ararat''.

★ In the comic opera ''Iolanthe'', by Gilbert and Sullivan (1882), there is a character named George Mountararat, who is an Earl and a leader of the British House of Peers.

★ The Armenian-American Metal Band System of a Down wrote the song "Holy Mountains" about Mt. Ararat and its significance to Armenians with regard to the Armenian Genocide.

★ The Book of Genesis identifies the "mountains of Ararat" as the resting place of Noah's Ark after the Great Flood described there. (Genesis 8:4): "Then the ark rested in the seventh month on the seventeenth day of the month on the mountains of Ararat."

★ The videogame ''Keio Flying Squadron'' on the Mega CD had a multi-sided battle for Mt. Ararat, between the United States, Russia, the raccoon/tanuki leader Dr. Pon, and the hero, Rami. Atop the mountain is Noah's Ark, that contains a secret that Dr. Pon wants.

★ Mount Arreat in ''Diablo II'' may actually be inspired by Mt. Ararat, including the fact that it is glacier covered, and very sacred.

★ In the novel ''Declare'' by Tim Powers (2001), Mt. Ararat is the residence of a race of fallen angels, which the novel also calls Djinn.

★ In Julian Barnes's novel ''A History of the World in 10½ Chapters'' Mt. Ararat is at the centre of some of the plot lines.

★ In F.R Scott's poem Lakeshore, the last line reads, "I muse, alone, on Ararat."

★ Mount Ararat is referenced in the plot of Kurt Vonnegut's novel Bluebeard.

★ Ararat is featured in the song “Noah’s Prayer” by international recording artist and composer Daniel Decker. The song chronicles Noah’s journey on the ark to Mount Ararat. In the shadow of Ararat, the song was debuted in 2002 in Sardarapad, Armenia to celebrate Armenian Independence day.

★ Mount Ararat makes an appearance in the Spriggan manga and OVA. The Ark is depicted to be deep inside the mountain, but is believed to have origins from an alien civilization.

★ In Dorothy Dunnett's novel, ''Caprice and Rondo'' (part VII of The House of Niccolò series), Mount Ararat is referenced as follows: "...to the mountains of Ayrarat [sic] (which they did not trouble to scale, in order to bring down a plank of the Ark)." (see pg. 307 of the edition with the following ISBN 0-375-70612-7)

★ A screenplay reputed to be the fourth Indiana Jones film that was widespread on the internet several years ago primarily took place on Ararat and involved locating Noah's Ark. The villain in the story was a demon who had hidden the skull of Satan in the bow of the ark before it sailed and needed it to reform his dark master.

Gallery

See also

★ Ararat anomaly

★ Little Ararat

★ Searches for Noah's Ark

★ Mountains of Ararat, which discusses alternative locations for the landing of Noah's ark

★ The asteroid 96205 Ararat is named in the mountain's honour.

★ Volcanic Seven Summits

Footnotes

1. Global Volcanism Program
2. Beginning Again at Ararat By Ellott, Mabel Evelyn, p.306
3. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=8&verse=4&version=31&context=verse "First Book of Moses, called Genesis"
4. http://www.wan-press.org/article3057.html "...Mount Ararat, or Ağrı Dağı as it is known in Turkish"
5. (see meaning of Ağrı)
6. Shockey, Don, 1986. Agri-Dagh, Mount Ararat: The Painful Mountain, Fresno, CA: Pioneer Publishing, ISBN 1572584122.
7. http://www.arksearch.com/nadanger.htm "...see why the Turkish word for Mount Ararat is Agri Dagh or the 'Mountain of Pain!'"
8. Feiler, B., Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses

Sources

★

★ Overview of the Search for Noah's Ark at noahsarksearch.com

★ Zooming in on Noah's Ark? Satellites Search for Ancient Artifact at space.com

★ Satellite Sleuth Closes in on Noah's Ark Mystery at livescience.com

External links

★ Mount Ararat live webcam

★ NASA Earth Observatory page

★ Space shuttle image and basic details.

★ Global Volcanism Program, Mount Ararat page.

★ The Mountain of Noah - Biblical references to Mount Ararat

★ Kurds of Ararat

★ Maps of Mt Ararat

★ Detailed 2007 trip report