September 06, 2007
Mount Ararat History and Facts
This is an image from a satellite in space of Mount Ararat.
| Elevation | 5,137 meters (16,854 ft) |
| Location | Iğdır Province, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 39°42.26′N 44°17.5′E |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | 1840 |
Mount Ararat (Armenian: Արարատ) is the highest mountain in Turkey. Ararat was a part of Armenia until the Armenian Genocide in 1915 when Turkey took over that section of Armenia. Mount Ararat is an important landmark to Armenian’s because it shows the beauty of the sister mountains that were taken away from Armenia. It is a symbol in most paintings, songs, movies and mostly anything else to do with Armenia. It is also the background to my header image on my blog. In 2001, I stood at Khor Virab, which is the closest you can get to Ararat while still in Armenia, and watched the mountain for so long. I sat there thinking about the history and watched the amazing view of the twin peaks. The above image is not rendered in any way, it actually looks like that.
At some point in my life, one of my goals is to climb Ararat, but the Turkish government has issues with that. 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. I found a company out of Turkey who will do everything for you and it only costs $1,500. I know that might be a lot to spend, but I will if it means completing a lifelong goal. If I do end up going, I will be documenting the entire trip.
Most people say they have never heard of Mount Ararat, but when you mention Noah’s Ark, they know that. One thing that they never realized though was the mountain that the Ark landed on after the 150 days was Mount Ararat. In the Bible, the book of Genesis, Chapter 8 1-5 reads:
“But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen”
Facts:
- In November 2004, Mt. Ararat and its surrounding area was considered a National Park
- Ararat (film) is a 2002 film by Atom Egoyan about the Armenian Genocide. I saw it on it’s release date in Harvard Square and it was really a great movie.
- 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.
- Mount Ararat is referenced in the plot of Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Bluebeard.
