Mount Ararat (Turkish Ağrı Dağı; Armenian Արարատ; Persian آرارات; Hebrew אררט, Standard Hebrew Ararat, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂrārāṭ), the tallest peak in modern Turkey, is a snow-capped dormant volcanic cone, located in the far northeast of Turkey, 16 km west of Iran and 32 km south of Armenia. The Book of Genesis identifies this mountain as the resting place of Noah's Ark after the "great flood" described there.
A smaller (3896 m) cone, Little Mount Ararat, rises just southeast of the main peak. The lava plateau stretches out between the two pinnacles. Technically, Ararat is a stratovolcano, formed of lava flows and pyroclastic ejecta.
Vessel-shaped features interpreted in aerial photographs of Ararat caused a stir in the late 1950s (see pseudoarchaeology), though expeditions found the features to be landslides and lava flows.
Even though currently located in Turkey, Ararat is the national symbol of Armenia, where it is sometimes called Masis (Մասիս), and is featured in the centre of the Coat of Arms of Armenia. The mountain is clearly visible from most locations in Armenia, including the capital city of Yerevan (from Armenia it is best visible from the Khor Virap monastery, though), and is often depicted by Armenian artists on paintings, obsidian engravings and backgammon boards.
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Last updated: 10-15-2005 21:56:43
