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111-582: The province is named after the biblical Mount Ararat . It is bordered by Turkey from the west and Azerbaijan 's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic from the south. It surrounds the Karki exclave of Nakhichevan which has been controlled by Armenia since its capture in May 1992 during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War . Domestically, Ararat is bordered by Armavir Province from the northwest, Kotayk Province from

222-631: A buffer state between the two competing empires of the Romans and the Parthians. Tigranes' heir Artavasdes II maintained the alliance with Rome, giving helpful advice to the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus on his campaign against the Parthians – advice which went unheeded and led to Crassus' disastrous defeat at the Battle of Carrhae . When Mark Antony became ruler of Rome's eastern provinces, he began to suspect

333-476: A Mount Ararat valley glacier of Pleistocene, possibly in the Last Glacial Period , downvalley from Lake Balık . The higher moraine lies at an altitude of about 2,200 meters (7,200 ft) and the lower moraine lies at an altitude of about 1,800 meters (5,900 ft). The lower moraine occurs about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) downstream from Lake Balık. Both moraines are about 30 meters (98 ft) high. It

444-649: A Turkish embassy for a special "Ararat visa", and it is mandatory to hire an official guide from the Turkish Federation for Alpinism. Ararat ( Western Armenian : Ararad ) is the Biblical Hebrew name ( אררט ʾrrṭ ) cognate with Assyrian Urartu , of a kingdom that existed in the Armenian Highlands in the 9th–6th centuries BC. The mountain is known as Ararat in European languages, however, none of

555-613: A bottle, considering the water holy. On 8 November [ O.S. 27 October] 1829, Parrot and Abovian together with the Akhuri hunter Sahak's brother Hako, acting as a guide, climbed up Lesser Ararat. Other early notable climbers of Ararat included Russian climatologist and meteorologist Kozma Spassky-Avtonomov (August 1834), Karl Behrens (1835), German mineralogist and geologist Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich (29 July 1845), British politician Henry Danby Seymour (1848) and British army officer Major Robert Stuart (1856). Later in

666-760: A brief period from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Sea. According to the geographer Strabo , Artaxias and Zariadres were two satraps of the Seleucid Empire who ruled over the provinces of Greater Armenia and Sophene, respectively. After the Seleucid defeat at the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BC, a coup by the Armenian noble family of Artashes toppled the Orontid dynasty and declared their independence, with Artaxias becoming

777-616: A claim to royal power, indicate an Achaemenid crown and his "neo-Persian" kingship. The stelae emphasize the Achaemenid dynastic roots of Artaxias' name. Some words such as "QTRbr", which could reflect the Middle Persian * tāgabar , 'diadem-bearer', 'king', comparatively appears in Old Armenian for 'king' ( t’agavor ) indicating the Persian origins of Armenian royal culture. Despite

888-570: A corrupted version of the Kurdish girê , meaning hill, or Agirî , and dax , which is the Turkish dağ , meaning mountain. The traditional Armenian name is Masis ( Մասիս [maˈsis] ; sometimes Massis ). However, nowadays, the terms Masis and Ararat are both widely, often interchangeably, used in Armenian. The folk etymology found in Movses Khorenatsi 's History of Armenia derives

999-516: A few basaltic lava flows . These volcanic rocks were erupted from approximately north northwest–south southeast-trending extensional faults and fissures prior to the development of Mount Ararat. Second, a cone-building phase began when the volcanic activity became localized at a point along a fissure. During this phase, the eruption of successive flows of lava up to 150 meters (490 ft) thick and pyroclastic flows of andesite and dacite composition and later eruption of basaltic lava flows, formed

1110-530: A letter from Naples : " Etna and Vesuvius are still smoking; is there no fire left in the old volcano of Ararat?" Theodore Edward Dowling wrote in 1910 that Ararat and Etchmiadzin are the "two great objects of Armenian veneration". He noted that the "noble snowy mountain takes the place, in the estimation of the Armenians, that Mount Sinai and the traditional Mount Zion do among the adherents of other Eastern Christians ". Jonathan Smele called Ararat and

1221-790: A lion along with the Armenian eternity sign . The mountain appears on the emblem of the Armenian Catholic Ordinariate of Armenia and Eastern Europe . Ararat appeared on the coat of arms of the Armenian Oblast and the Georgia-Imeretia Governorate ( image ), subdivisions of the Russian Empire that included the northern flanks of the mountain. They were adopted in 1833 and 1843, respectively. Artaxiad Dynasty The Artaxiad dynasty (also Artashesian ) ruled

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1332-480: A nationalizing discourse, is ubiquitous in everyday material culture in Armenia. Tsypylma Darieva argues that Armenians have "a sense of possession of Ararat in the sense of symbolic cultural property ". There is historical and modern mountain worship around it among Armenians. Ararat is known as the " holy mountain " of the Armenian people. It was principal to the pre-Christian Armenian mythology , where it

1443-724: A population of 8,376, the village of Ayntap is the largest rural municipality of Ararat. The majority of the Ararat Province population are ethnic Armenians who belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church . The regulating body of the church is the Araratian Pontifical Diocese , headed by Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan (seat in Yerevan). However, the village of Verin Dvin is predominantly populated by Assyrians belonging to

1554-543: A priority. Greek geographer and historian Strabo recounts the conquests of Artaxias towards West, East, North and South. Strabo, Geography, book 11, chapter 14: According to Strabo and Plutarch , Artaxias also founded the Armenian capital Artaxata with the aid of the Carthaginian general Hannibal who was being sheltered from the Romans within Artaxias' court. The population of the previous Orontid capital of Ervandashat

1665-417: A relationship between the mountain's name and a village on its slopes called Ağori that was decimated after a landslide in 1840. The exact meaning of these related names remains unknown. The Kurdish name of the mountain is Çiyayê Agirî ( [t͡ʃɪjaːˈje aːgɪˈriː] ), which translates to "fiery mountain". An alternative Kurdish name is Grîdax , which is composed of the word grî , presumably

1776-449: A wide north–south-trending crack. This crack is the surface expression of an extensional fault . Numerous parasitic cones and lava domes have been built by flank eruptions along this fault and on the flanks of both of the main volcanic cones. Mount Ararat lies within a complex, sinistral pull-apart basin that originally was a single, continuous depression. The growth of Mount Ararat partitioned this depression into two smaller basins,

1887-588: Is کوه نوح ( [ˈkuːhe ˈnuːh] , Kūh-e Nūḥ ), literally the "mountain of Noah". In classical antiquity , particularly in Strabo 's Geographica , the peaks of Ararat were known in ancient Greek as Ἄβος ( Abos ) and Νίβαρος ( Nibaros ). Mount Ararat is located in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, between the provinces of Ağrı and Iğdır , near the border with Iran , Armenia and Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan , between

1998-514: Is a steep-sided volcanic cone that is larger and higher than the eastern volcanic cone. Greater Ararat is about 25 kilometers (16 mi) wide at the base and rises about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) above the adjacent floors of the Iğdir and Doğubeyazıt basins. The eastern volcanic cone, Lesser Ararat, is 3,896 meters (12,782 ft) high and 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) across. These volcanic cones, which lie 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) apart, are separated by

2109-516: Is an icon for Armenian irredentism . It is depicted on the coat of arms of Armenia along with Noah's Ark. Mount Ararat forms a near- quadripoint between Turkey , Iran , Armenia , and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan . Its summit is located some 16 km (10 mi) west of both the Iranian border and the border of the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, and 32 km (20 mi) south of

2220-488: Is depicted along with the ark on its peak on the shield on an orange background. The emblem of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (Soviet Armenia) was created by the painters Martiros Saryan and Hakob Kojoyan in 1921. Mount Ararat is depicted in the center and makes up a large portion of it. It is also depicted on the emblem and flag of Yerevan since 2004. It is portrayed on the breast of

2331-479: Is inaccessible, both by reason of its great height, and of the snow which perpetually covers it." Archaeological expeditions, sometimes supported by evangelical and millenarian churches, have been conducted since the 19th century in search of the ark. According to a 1974 book, around 200 people from more than 20 countries claimed to have seen the Ark on Ararat since 1856. A fragment from the ark supposedly found on Ararat

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2442-608: Is named after the historic Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia . According to Movses Khorenatsi and the Ashkharatsuyts medieval Armenian geographical book of Anania Shirakatsi , Ayrarat was one of the 15 provinces of Armenia Major . It was considered the central province of the Armenian Highland . It is believed that the name Ararat is the Armenian equivalent of the toponym Urartu . Ararat has an area of 2,090 km (7% of total area of Armenia). It occupies

2553-411: Is not surprising that there is no archaeological evidence for the existence of an impossibly large boat dating to 5,000 years ago." Despite lying outside the borders of modern Armenia, Ararat has historically been associated with Armenia, and Armenians have been called the "people of Ararat". It is widely considered the country's principal national symbol . The image of Ararat, usually framed within

2664-518: Is on display at the museum of Etchmiadzin Cathedral , the center of the Armenian Church. Despite numerous reports of ark sightings (e.g. Ararat anomaly ) and rumors, "no scientific evidence of the ark has emerged". Searches for Noah's Ark are considered by scholars an example of pseudoarchaeology . Kenneth Feder writes: "As the flood story itself is unsupported by any archaeological evidence, it

2775-597: Is operating in the village of Ararat since 2001. The M-2 Motorway that connects the capital Yerevan with southern Armenia and the Iranian border, passes through the Ararat Province. The towns of Artashat and Ararat used to have a railway station that connected Yerevan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic during the Soviet years. Being located at the fertile Ararat plain , the province contributes with 15% in

2886-422: Is probably more accurate. The current elevation may be as low as 5,125 m (16,814 ft) due to the melting of its snow -covered ice cap . The ice cap on the summit of Mount Ararat has been shrinking since at least 1957. In the late 1950s, Blumenthal observed that there existed 11 outlet glaciers emerging from a summit snow mass that covered about 10 km (3.9 sq mi). At that time, it

2997-703: Is suspected that Lake Balık occupies a glacial basin. Mount Ararat is a polygenic, compound stratovolcano . Covering an area of 1,100 km (420 sq mi), it is the largest volcanic edifice within the region. Along its northwest–southeast trending long axis, Mount Ararat is about 45 kilometers (28 mi) long and is about 30 kilometers (19 mi) long along its short axis. It consists of about 1,150 km (280 cu mi) of dacitic and rhyolitic pyroclastic debris and dacitic, rhyolitic, and basaltic lavas . Mount Ararat consists of two distinct volcanic cones, Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat ( Little Ararat ). The western volcanic cone, Greater Ararat,

3108-534: Is the Hebrew name of Urartu , the geographical predecessor of Armenia; they argue that the word referred to the wider region at the time and not specifically to Mount Ararat. The phrase is translated as "mountains of Armenia" ( montes Armeniae ) in the Vulgate . Nevertheless, Ararat is traditionally considered the resting-place of Noah's Ark, and, thus, regarded as a biblical mountain. Mount Ararat has been associated with

3219-519: Is the highest peak in Turkey; Little Ararat's elevation is 3,896 m (12,782 ft). The Ararat massif is about 35 km (22 mi) wide at ground base. The first recorded efforts to reach Ararat's summit were made in the Middle Ages, and Friedrich Parrot , Khachatur Abovian , and four others made the first recorded ascent in 1829. In Europe, the mountain has been called by the name Ararat since

3330-579: Is the third most prominent mountain in West Asia . An elevation of 5,165 m (16,946 ft) for Mount Ararat is given by some encyclopedias and reference works such as Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary and Encyclopedia of World Geography . However, a number of sources, such as the United States Geological Survey and numerous topographic maps indicate that the alternatively widespread figure of 5,137 m (16,854 ft)

3441-442: Is usually considered the earliest reference for the tradition of Mount Ararat as the landing place of the ark in European literature. John Mandeville is another early author who mentioned Mount Ararat, "where Noah's ship rested, and it is still there". The ark on Ararat was often depicted in mappae mundi as early as the 11th century. Most Christians, including most of Western Christianity , identify Mount Ararat with

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3552-599: The Aras and Murat rivers. The Serdarbulak lava plateau , at 2600 meters of elevation, separates the peaks of Greater and Little Ararat. There are Doğubayazıt Reeds on the western slopes of Mount Ararat. Mount Ararat's summit is located some 16 km (10 mi) west of the Turkey-Iran border and 32 km (20 mi) south of the Turkey-Armenia border. The Ararat plain runs along its northwest to western side. Ararat

3663-652: The Assyrian Church of the East , whose ancestors migrated to Armenia from Iran during the 1st half of the 19th century. Almost half of the population of the village of Dimitrov is also Assyrian. The provincial centre Artashat is also home to a small Assyrian community. The approximate number of the Assyrians in Ararat Province is around 2,500. Ararat is currently divided into 5 municipalities ( hamaynkner ), of which 4 are consolidated and 1 community inhabited by Assyrians : During

3774-813: The Kingdom of Armenia from 189 BC until their overthrow by the Romans in 12 AD. Their realm included Greater Armenia , Sophene and, intermittently, parts of Mesopotamia . Their main enemies were the Romans, the Seleucids and the Parthians , against whom the Armenians conducted multiple wars. Under the Artaxiad king Tigranes the Great ( r.  95 – 55 BC ), the Kingdom of Armenia reached its greatest territorial extent, extending for

3885-557: The Middle Ages , as it began to be identified with " mountains of Ararat " described in the Bible as the resting-place of Noah's Ark , despite contention that Genesis 8:4 does not refer specifically to a Mount Ararat. Although lying outside the borders of modern Armenia , the mountain is the principal national symbol of Armenia and has been considered a sacred mountain by Armenians. It has featured prominently in Armenian literature and art and

3996-659: The Māšu (Mashu) mountain mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh , which sounded like Māsu in Assyrian. The name meant "twin", referring to the twin peaks of the mountain. Erkuahi , a land mentioned in Urartian texts and identified with Mt. Ararat, could reflect the native Armenian form of this same name (compare to Armenian erku (երկու, "two")). Today, both Ararat and Masis are common male first names among Armenians. The traditional Persian name

4107-821: The Ottoman Empire (by virtue of the Treaty of Batum ) until the latter's withdrawal in late 1918. In July 1919, lasting until mid-1920, the Azerbaijanis -inhabited regions of Ararat, Vedibasar and Zangibasar , revolted against the Armenian government as part of the Muslim uprisings in Kars and Sharur–Nakhichevan . After 2 years of brief independence, Armenia became part of the Soviet Union in December 1920. From 1930 until 1995, modern-day Ararat

4218-569: The University of Dorpat arrived at Etchmiadzin in mid-September 1829, almost two years after the Russian capture of Yerevan , for the sole purpose of exploring Ararat. The prominent Armenian writer Khachatur Abovian , then a deacon and translator at Etchmiadzin, was assigned by Catholicos Yeprem, the head of the Armenian Church, as interpreter and guide. Parrot and Abovian crossed the Aras River into

4329-604: The Vostan Hayots canton of Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia. The province is located at the southeast of the Ararat plain , surrounded by the Yeranos mountains from the north, the mountains of Gegham , Dahnak and Mzhkatar from the east, Urts mountains from the south and the Araks river from the west. The mountains of Yerakh are located at the centre of the province. Approximately, 30% of

4440-560: The late Middle Ages . Although the word "ağrı" literally translates to "pain" the current name is considered a derivative of the mountain's initial Turkish name "Ağır Dağ" which translates as "heavy mountain". The 17th century explorer Evliya Çelebi referred to it as Ağrî in the Seyahatnâme . Despite the supposed meaning in Turkish Ağrı Dağı as "pain mountain" and Kurdish Çiyayê Agirî as "fiery mountain", some linguists underline

4551-477: The sacred mountain was "to tie the womb of the mother of all mankind in a dragonish mode". By contrast, in the 21st century to climb Ararat is "the most highly valued goal of some of the patriotic pilgrimages that are organized in growing number from Armenia and the Armenian diaspora". The first recorded ascent of the mountain in modern times took place on 9 October [ O.S. 27 September] 1829. The Baltic German naturalist Friedrich Parrot of

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4662-496: The 1958 glacier tongues. Blumenthal explained the absence of such moraines by the lack of confining ridges to control glaciers, insufficient debris load in the ice to form moraines, and their burial by later eruptions. Years later, Birman observed on the south-facing slopes a possible moraine that extends at least 300 meters (980 ft) in altitude below the base of the 1958 ice cap at an elevation of 4,200 meters (13,800 ft). He also found two morainal deposits that were created by

4773-663: The 19th century, two British politicians and scholars— James Bryce (1876) and H. F. B. Lynch (1893) —climbed the mountain. The first winter climb was by Turkish alpinist Bozkurt Ergör, the former president of the Turkish Mountaineering Federation , who climbed the peak on 21 February 1970. According to the Book of Genesis of the Old Testament , Noah's Ark landed on the " mountains of Ararat " ( Genesis 8:4 ). Historians and Bible scholars generally agree that "Ararat"

4884-428: The 2022 official census, Ararat has a population of 248,982 (122,939 men and 126,043 women), forming around 8.5% of the entire population of Armenia. The urban population is 66,759 (26.8%) and the rural is 182,223 (73.2%). The province has 4 urban and 93 rural communities. The largest urban community is the provincial centre of Artashat, with a population of 19,020. The other urban centres are Ararat, Masis and Vedi. With

4995-456: The 20th century. The mountain came under Turkish control during the 1920 Turkish–Armenian War . It formally became part of Turkey according to the 1921 Treaty of Moscow and Treaty of Kars . In the late 1920s, Turkey crossed the Iranian border and occupied the eastern flank of Lesser Ararat as part of its effort to quash the Kurdish Ararat rebellion , during which the Kurdish rebels used

5106-617: The 4th century AD, were both located within the Vostan Hayots canton. The other cantons of Urtsadzor and Arats were first mentioned in the 5th century AD by Yeghishe the historian in his "History of Vardan and the Armenian War" historical work. After the fall of the Armenian Kingdom in 428, the region became part of the Sasanian Empire of Persia until the Arab conquest of Armenia in

5217-441: The 5th century BC. Artaxias is regarded as one of the most important kings in Armenian history. He presented himself as a legitimate descendant of Orontids, although it is unknown if he was in fact related to that dynasty. In the beginning of his rule, parts of the Armenian Highlands with Armenian speaking populations remained under the rule of neighbouring states. Artaxias made the reunification of those lands under his domain

5328-408: The Arabian platform with Laurasia closed and eliminated the Tethys Ocean from the area of what is now Anatolia. The closure of these masses of continental crust collapsed this ocean basin by middle Eocene and resulted in a progressive shallowing of the remnant seas, until the end of the early Miocene. Post-collisional tectonic convergence within the collision zone resulted in the total elimination of

5439-428: The Ararat Province. According to the 1989 Soviet census , the Ararat Province (then part of the Ararat , Artashat , and Masis districts in 1930–1995) had a population of 266,527. 52,429 or 19.67% of which was urban, distributed in the cities of Ararat (20,105) and Artashat (32,324), and 214,098 or 80.33% were rural, distributed in the districts of Ararat (64,657), Artashat (73,269), and Masis (76,172). According to

5550-404: The Armenian border. The Turkish-Armenian-Azerbaijani and Turkish-Iranian-Azerbaijani tripoints are some 8 km (5 mi) apart, separated by a narrow strip of Turkish territory containing the E99 road which enters Nakhchivan at 39°39′19″N 44°48′12″E  /  39.6553°N 44.8034°E  / 39.6553; 44.8034 . From the 16th century until 1828 the range was part of

5661-566: The Armenian court, and – according to Plutarch – when the Roman general Lucullus seized the Armenian capital Tigranocerta, he found a troupe of Greek actors who had arrived to perform plays for Tigranes. Tigranes' successor Artavasdes II even composed Greek tragedies himself. Nevertheless, Armenian culture still retained a strong Iranian element, particularly in religious matters. Artaxias built boundary stones (stelae), reminiscent of Achaemenid models, around Lake Sevan to demarcate land-holdings. The boundary stones, covered in Aramaic script as

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5772-431: The Genesis account since the 11th century, and Armenians began to identify it as the ark's landing place during that time. F. C. Conybeare wrote that the mountain was "a center and focus of pagan myths and cults… and it was only in the eleventh century, after these had vanished from the popular mind, that the Armenian theologians ventured to locate on its eternal snows the resting-place of Noah's ark". William of Rubruck

5883-417: The Great , King of Pontus , and during the Third Mithridatic War , in 69 BC, a Roman army led by Lucullus invaded the Armenian empire and routed Tigranes outside Tigranocerta and Artaxata . In 66 BC, Lucullus' successor Pompey finally forced Tigranes to surrender. Pompey reduced Armenia to its former borders but allowed Tigranes to retain the throne as an ally of Rome. From now on, Armenia would become

5994-440: The Greater Ararat cone with a low conical profile. Third, during a climatic phase , copious flows of andesitic and basaltic lavas were erupted. During this phase, the current cones of Greater and Lesser Ararat were formed as eruptions along subsidiary fissures and cracks and flank occurred. Finally, the volcanic eruptions at Mount Ararat transitioned into a flank eruption phase , during which a major north–south-trending fault offset

6105-426: The Greek language. Some coins describe the Armenian kings as "Philhellenes" ("lovers of Greek culture"). Tigranes the Great and Artavasdes II both minted coins with Greek inscriptions. Knowledge of Greek in Armenia is also evidenced by surviving parchments and rock inscriptions. Cleopatra , the wife of Tigranes the Great, invited Greeks such as the rhetor Amphicrates and the historian Metrodorus of Scepsis to

6216-455: The Iğdir and Doğubeyazıt basins. This pull-apart basin is the result of strike-slip movement along two en-echelon fault segments, the Doğubeyazıt–Gürbulak and Iğdir Faults , of a sinistral strike–slip fault system. Tension between these faults not only formed the original pull-apart basin, but created a system of faults, exhibiting a horsetail splay pattern, that control the position of the principal volcanic eruption centers of Mount Ararat and

6327-451: The Ottoman-Persian border; Great Ararat's summit and the northern slopes, along with the eastern slopes of Little Ararat were controlled by Persia. Following the 1826–28 Russo-Persian War and the Treaty of Turkmenchay , the Persian controlled territory was ceded to the Russian Empire. Little Ararat became the point where the Turkish, Persian, and Russian imperial frontiers converged. The current international boundaries were formed throughout

6438-466: The Persian rule until 1827–1828, when Eastern Armenia was ceded by the Russian Empire as a result of the Russo-Persian War of 1826–28 and the signing of the Treaty of Turkmenchay . With the fall of the Russian Empire and as a result of the decisive Armenian victories over the Turks in the battles of Sardarabad , Abaran , and Gharakilisa , the region became part of the independent Armenia in May 1918, however, its western reaches remained occupied by

6549-584: The Roman garrisons in Armenia, but after a reign of ten years he was murdered. The kingdom broke down into a civil war between pro-Roman and pro-Parthian parties until it decisively became a Roman protectorate under the emperor Augustus . The Artaxiad dynasty petered out in chaos and it was a considerable time before the Arsacid dynasty emerged as their undisputed successors. (Note: Some dates are approximate or doubtful). Hovannisian, Richard G. (2006). Armenian Tigranakert/Diarbekir and Edessa/Urfa . Mazda Publishers. ISBN   978-1568591537 . (...)

6660-428: The Russian Orthodox Church, also mentioned it as the resting-place of Noah's Ark in his speech at Etchmiadzin Cathedral in 2010. Those critical of this view-point out that Ararat was the name of the country at the time when Genesis was written, not specifically the mountain. Arnold wrote in his 2008 Genesis commentary, "The location 'on the mountains' of Ararat indicates not a specific mountain by that name, but rather

6771-416: The Seljuk, Mongol, Ag Qoyunlu and Kara Koyunlu invasions, respectively. At the beginning of the 16th century, the territory of modern-day Ararat became part of the Erivan Beglarbegi within the Safavid Persia . During the first half of the 18th century, the territory became part of the Erivan Khanate under the rule of the Afsharid dynasty and later under the Qajar dynasty of Persia. It remained under

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6882-445: The annual total agricultural product of Armenia. Around 75% (1,567 km) of the total area of the province are arable lands , out of which 17.23% (270 km) are ploughed. Orchards mainly produce grapes, apricot and peach. Other products include pear, apple, melon, watermelon, eggplant, grains and dry seed. Ararat is among the leading provinces of Armenia in wine production in terms of grape cultivation and wine export (along with

6993-452: The area around Mount Ararat, where he established the roots of the Armenian nation. He is thus considered the legendary founding father (patriarch) and the name giver of the Armenian people. According to Razmik Panossian , this legend "makes Armenia the cradle of all civilisation since Noah's Ark landed on the 'Armenian' mountain of Ararat. [...] it connects Armenians to the biblical narrative of human development. [...] it makes Mount Ararat

7104-404: The area as a safe haven against the Turkish state. Iran eventually agreed to cede the area to Turkey in a territorial exchange . The Iran-Turkey boundary skirts east of Lesser Ararat (or Little Ararat), the lower peak of the Ararat massif. As of 2004 the mountain was open to climbers only with "military permission". The procedure to obtain the permission involves submitting a formal request to

7215-508: The area of Mount Ararat in 139, 368, 851–893, and 1319 AD. During the 139 AD earthquake, a large landslide that caused many casualties and was similar to the 1840 AD landslide originated from the summit of Mount Ararat. A phreatic eruption occurred on Mount Ararat on July 2, 1840 and pyroclastic flow from radial fissures on the upper north flank of the mountain and a possibly associated earthquake of magnitude 7.4 that caused severe damage and numerous casualties. Up to 10,000 people died in

7326-411: The associated linear belt of parasitic volcanic cones. The strike-slip fault system within which Mount Ararat is located is the result of north–south convergence and tectonic compression between the Arabian Platform and Laurasia that continued after the Tethys Ocean closed during the Eocene epoch along the Bitlis–Zagros suture . During the early Eocene and early Miocene , the collision of

7437-434: The attractive sites for archaeologists. The province is home to many protected areas of nature including the Khosrov Forest State Reserve , the Goravan Sands Sanctuary and the Khor Virap Wildlife Sanctuary. As of the 2015-16 educational year, Ararat Province has 112 schools, out of which 107 are operated by the province administration, while 5 are under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Education and Science. As of

7548-444: The biblical mountains of Ararat "largely because it would have been the first peak to emerge from the receding flood waters". H. G. O. Dwight wrote in 1856 that it is "the general opinion of the learned in Europe" that the Ark landed on Ararat. James Bryce wrote that the ark rested upon a "mountain in the district which the Hebrews knew as Ararat, or Armenia" in an 1878 article for the Royal Geographical Society , and he added that

7659-400: The biblical writer must have had Mount Ararat in mind because it is so "very much higher, more conspicuous, and more majestic than any other summit in Armenia". In 2001 Pope John Paul II declared in his homily in Yerevan's St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral : "We are close to Mount Ararat, where tradition says that the Ark of Noah came to rest." Patriarch Kirill of Moscow , the head of

7770-452: The conquests of Alexander the Great , the country began to be influenced by the Hellenistic world under the Orontids in the 3rd century and this process reached its peak under the Artaxiads, particularly King Tigranes the Great. During this time, the Armenian rulers incorporated many Greek elements. This is shown by the contemporary Armenian coins (which had first appeared under the Orontids). They followed Greek models and have inscriptions in

7881-465: The continuing north–south shortening deformation of Anatolia. In their detailed study and summary of the Quaternary volcanism of Anatolia, Yilmaz et al. recognized four phases to the construction of Mount Ararat from volcanic rocks exposed in glacial valleys deeply carved into its flanks. First, they recognized a fissure eruption phase of Plinian-subPlinian fissure eruptions that deposited more than 700 meters (2,300 ft) of pyroclastic rocks and

7992-611: The district of Surmali and headed to the Armenian village of Akhuri on the northern slope of Ararat, 1,220 metres (4,000 ft) above sea level. They set up a base camp at the Armenian monastery of St. Hakob some 730 metres (2,400 ft) higher, at an elevation of 1,943 metres (6,375 ft). After two failed attempts, they reached the summit on their third attempt at 3:15 p.m. on October 9, 1829. The group included Parrot, Abovian, two Russian soldiers – Aleksei Zdorovenko and Matvei Chalpanov – and two Armenian Akhuri villagers – Hovhannes Aivazian and Murad Poghosian. Parrot measured

8103-468: The earliest locations that was settled by the people of the Armenian Highland . It mainly includes the 3 cantons of Vostan Hayots , Urstadzor and Arats of the historic Ayrarat province. Vostan Hayots was known since the establishment of the Artaxiad Kingdom of Armenia at the beginning of the 2nd century BC. The ancient Armenian capitals of Artaxata founded in 176 BC, and Dvin founded during

8214-624: The earthquake, including 1,900 villagers in the village of Akhuri (Armenian: Akori, modern Yenidoğan ) who were killed by a gigantic landslide and subsequent debris flow . In addition, this combination of landslide and debris flow destroyed the Armenian monastery of St. Jacob near Akori, the town of Aralik , several villages, and Russian military barracks. It also temporarily dammed the Sevjur (Metsamor) River. The 13th century missionary William of Rubruck wrote that "Many have tried to climb it, but none has been able." The Armenian Apostolic Church

8325-424: The east of the central part of modern-day Armenia. From the north, it has borders with Armavir Province , Yerevan and Kotayk Province . From the east, its bordered by Gegharkunik and Vayots Dzor . Iğdır Province of Turkey and Azerbaijan 's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic respectively form the western and southern borders of the province. Historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies

8436-463: The elevation at 5,250 metres (17,220 ft) using a mercury barometer. This was not only the first recorded ascent of Ararat, but also the second highest elevation climbed by man up to that date outside of Mount Licancabur in the Chilean Andes. Abovian dug a hole in the ice and erected a wooden cross facing north. Abovian also picked up a chunk of ice from the summit and carried it down with him in

8547-590: The end of 2001, another football club with the name of FC Araks was founded in Ararat, but lasted only 4 years before being dissolved. FC Dvin Artashat founded in 1982, was also a prominent football club in the province. The remained in professional football until 1999, before being dissolved like most Armenian football clubs outside the capital Yerevan. Masis FC played in the domestic completions between 1992 and 1994 when they were also dissolved. There are 2 stadiums in

8658-455: The end of 2015, the number of the students in the schools of the province is 31,457. There are many public libraries and cultural houses in the towns of Artashat, Ararat, Masis and Vedi. However, there are no higher education institutions in the province. Araks Ararat founded in 1960 had represented the province in domestic and international football competitions. However, the club was and dissolved in 2001 due to financial difficulties. At

8769-504: The fact that Artaxias built boundary steles with inscriptions in the Aramaic alphabet, the Artaxiad dynasty's coinage are entirely in Greek . A copper Artaxias I coin on the reverse shows an eagle facing left and perched atop a mountain. Later coins also have the eagle alone; which may symbolize divinity or the king's power. Tigran I's copper coin, on the reverse, depicts a man sitting on a throne to

8880-472: The first king of the Artaxiad dynasty of Armenia in 188 BC. Scholars believe that Artaxias and Zariadres were not foreign generals, but local figures related to the previous Orontid dynasty , as their Irano-Armenian (and not Greek) names would indicate. According to historian Nina Garsoïan , the Artaxiads were a branch of the earlier Orontid dynasty of Iranian origin attested as ruling in Armenia from at least

8991-412: The ice cap on top of Mount Ararat had lost 29% of its total area at an average rate of ice loss of 0.07 km (0.027 sq mi) per year over 35 years. This rate is consistent with the general rates of retreat of other Turkish summit glaciers and ice caps that have been documented by other studies. According to a 2020 study by Yalcin, "if the glacial withdrawals continue with the same acceleration,

9102-591: The kingdom. The borders of Armenia stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea . At that time, the Armenians had become so expansive, that the Romans and Parthians had to join forces in order to beat them. Tigranes found a more central capital within his domain and named it Tigranocerta . Large territories were taken from Parthians, who were forced to sign a treaty of friendship with Tigranes. Iberia , Albania , and Atropatene also lost territories and

9213-500: The left, his left hand resting on a sceptre. Tigran II and Tigran IV both minted copper coins with the figure of Hercules . The coins of Tigran II's predecessors bore the title BASILEOS MEGALOU (great king). Tigran II, however, used the term "BASILEUS BASILEON"(king of kings) on coins minted in Artaxata, Nisibis, and Tigranocerta after his re-installment by Pompey as a client-king of Rome. As historian James R. Russell states; "It

9324-463: The lower plains and cold snowy climate at the heights. The cliffy terrain of Khosrov Forest located at the northeast of the province, used to be the stronghold of the Endangered Caucasian leopards in Armenia. Between October 2000 to July 2002 tracks of no more than 10 individuals were found in an area of 780 km (300 sq mi). The region of modern-day Ararat Province is among

9435-499: The loyalty of Artavasdes, who had married his sister to the heir to the Parthian throne. In 35 BC, Antony invaded Armenia and sent Artavasdes into captivity in Egypt , where he was later executed. Antony installed his own six-year-old son by Cleopatra , Alexander Helios , on the throne of Armenia. Artavasdes' son Artaxias II gained help from the Parthians, seized the throne back and massacred

9546-443: The medieval capital of Ani the "most cherished symbols of Armenian identity". The Genesis flood narrative was linked to the Armenian myth of origin by the early medieval historian Movses Khorenatsi . In his History of Armenia , he wrote that Noah and his family first settled in Armenia and later moved to Babylon . Hayk , a descendant of Japheth , a son of Noah, revolted against Bel (the biblical Nimrod ) and returned to

9657-495: The mid-7th century. According to the 8th-century historian Ghevond , the Armenian princes of Urtsadzor canton participated in the failed revolution of 775 in Erciş against the Abbasid rulers of Arminiya . At the end of the 9th century, the 3 cantons became part of the newly established Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia . However, between the 11th and 15th centuries, the region suffered from

9768-566: The middle-late Miocene. During the late Miocene– Pliocene period, widespread volcanism blanketed the entire East Anatolian–Iranian plateau under thick volcanic rocks. This volcanic activity has continued uninterrupted until historical times. Apparently, it reached a climax during the latest Miocene–Pliocene, 6 to 3 Ma. During the Quaternary , the volcanism became restricted to a few local volcanoes such as Mount Ararat. These volcanoes are typically associated with north–south tensional fractures formed by

9879-466: The mountainous region of the land of Ararat". Ararat has traditionally been the main focus of the searches for Noah's Ark . Augustin Calmet wrote in his 1722 biblical dictionary: "It is affirmed, but without proof, that there are still remains of Noah's ark on the top of this mountain; but M. de Tournefort , who visited this spot, has assured us there was nothing like it; that the top of mount Ararat

9990-487: The name from king Amasya, the great-grandson of the legendary Armenian patriarch Hayk , who is said to have called it after himself. Various scholarly etymologies have been proposed. Anatoly Novoseltsev suggested that Masis derives from Middle Persian masist , "the largest". According to Sargis Petrosyan the mas root in Masis means "mountain", cf. Proto-Indo-European *mņs-. Armen Petrosyan suggested an origin from

10101-518: The national symbol of all Armenians, and the territory around it the Armenian homeland from time immemorial ." Mount Ararat has been depicted on the coat of arms of Armenia consistently since 1918. The First Republic 's coat of arms was designed by architect Alexander Tamanian and painter Hakob Kojoyan . This coat of arms was readopted by the legislature of the Republic of Armenia on April 19, 1992, after Armenia regained its independence. Mount Ararat

10212-625: The native peoples have traditionally referred to the mountain by that name. This mountain was not called by the name Ararat until the Middle Ages ; early Armenian historians considered the biblical Ararat to be in Corduene . Ayrarat , the central province of the Greater Armenia , is believed to originate from the same name. The Turkish name Mount Ağrı ( Ağrı Dağı , [aːɾɯ da.ɯ] ; Ottoman Turkish : آغـر طﺎﻍ , romanized :  Āġır Ṭāġ , [aːɣæɾ taɣ] ), has been known since

10323-548: The north, Gegharkunik Province from the east, Vayots Dzor Province from the southeast and the city of Yerevan from the north. Two former capitals of Armenia are located in the modern-day Ararat Province, Artaxata and Dvin . It is also home to the Khor Virap monastery, significant as the place of Gregory the Illuminator 's 13-year imprisonment and the closest point to Mount Ararat within Armenian borders. Ararat Province

10434-479: The northwest flank of Mount Ararat destroyed and buried at least one Kura–Araxes culture settlement and caused numerous fatalities in 2500–2400 BC. Oral histories indicated that a significant eruption of uncertain magnitude occurred in 550 BC and minor eruptions of uncertain nature might have occurred in 1450 AD and 1783 AD. According to the interpretation of historical and archaeological data, strong earthquakes not associated with volcanic eruptions also occurred in

10545-478: The permanent glacier will likely turn into a temporary glacier by 2065." Blumenthal estimated that the snow line had been as low as 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) in elevation during the Late Pleistocene . Such a snow line would have created an ice cap of 100 km (39 sq mi) in extent. However, he observed a lack of any clear evidence of prehistoric moraines other than those which were close to

10656-430: The province. The largest fish farming ponds are located at the vicinity of Armash village. Ararat is among the most industrialized provinces of Armenia with many large industrial firms. It currently has a contribution of 10% in the annual total industrial product of Armenia. The Khor Virap monastery is among the regular tourist destinations in Ararat Province. The ancient settlements of Artaxata and Dvin are among

10767-719: The province: the Ayg Stadium of Ararat and the Artashat City Stadium . The latter is the regular home of the annual National Athletics Championship of Armenia. Mount Ararat Mount Ararat ( / ˈ ær ə r æ t / , ARR -ə-rat ; Armenian : Արարատ , romanized :  Ararat ) or Mount Ağrı ( Turkish : Ağrı Dağı ; Kurdish : Çiyayê Agirî ) is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Eastern Turkey . It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat . Greater Ararat

10878-468: The provinces of Ararat and Vayots Dzor). The irrigation infrastructure of the province is quite developed. 90% of the farmlands are irrigated, mainly using canals opened from the rivers of Vedi and Azat . The Geghanist village has a specialized plant in producing fertilizers and irrigation system design. The province has 2 large poultry farms in the village of Kaghtsrashen and the town of Masis. Recently, fish farming has significantly developed in

10989-496: The recent years, many rural settlements in Ararat became abandoned, including the village of Kakavaberd . There are cultural palaces as well as public libraries in the towns of Ararat, Artashat, Masis and Vedi. The provincial centre Artashat is also home to the Amo Kharazyan drama theatre. The province has many art academies, sport schools and musical schools, mainly in the urban settlements. The House-museum of Vazgen Sargsyan

11100-524: The reign of Tigranes the Great (95–55 BC), the kingdom of Armenia was at the zenith of its power and briefly became the most powerful state to the Roman east. Artaxias and his followers had already constructed the base upon which Tigranes built his empire. Despite this fact, the territory of Armenia, being a mountainous one, was governed by nakharars who were largely autonomous from the central authority. Tigranes unified them in order to create internal security in

11211-563: The remainder of their Kingdoms became vassal states. The Greeks within the Seleucid Empire offered Tigranes the Seleucid crown in 83 BC, after which the Armenian empire reached as far south as modern Acre, Israel resulting in a conflict with the Hasmoneans . Roman involvement in Asia Minor brought Tigranes' empire to an end. Tigranes had allied himself with Rome's great enemy Mithridates

11322-597: The remaining seas from East Anatolia at the end of early Miocene, crustal shortening and thickening across the collision zone, and uplift of the East Anatolian–Iranian plateau. Accompanying this uplift was extensive deformation by faulting and folding, which resulted in the creation of numerous local basins. The north–south compressional deformation continues today as evidenced by ongoing faulting, volcanism, and seismicity. Within Anatolia, regional volcanism started in

11433-535: The territory is plain, while the rest is dominated by mountains. The highest point of Ararat province is the Spitakasar peak of Gegham mountains with a height of 3560 meters. The lowest point is 801 meters at the Araks valley. Araks, Hrazdan , Azat and Vedi, are the 4 major rivers the flow through the province. The climate within the territory of the province is highly diversified. It ranges between extremely arid climate at

11544-690: The two cones that developed along with a number of subsidiary fissures and cracks on the volcano's flanks. Along this fault and the subsidiary fissures and cracks, a number of parasitic cones and domes were built by minor eruptions. One subsidiary cone erupted voluminous basalt and andesite lava flows. They flowed across the Doğubeyazıt plain and along the southerly flowing Sarısu River. These lava flows formed black ʻaʻā and pāhoehoe lava flows that contain well preserved lava tubes . The radiometric dating of these lava flows yielded radiometric ages of 0.4, 0.48 and 0.81 Ma. Overall, radiometric ages obtained from

11655-512: The volcanic rocks erupted by Mount Ararat range from 1.5 to 0.02 Ma. The chronology of Holocene volcanic activity associated with Mount Ararat is documented by either archaeological excavations, oral history, historical records, or a combination of these data, which provide evidence that volcanic eruptions of Mount Ararat occurred in 2500–2400 BC, 550 BC, possibly in 1450 AD and 1783 AD, and definitely in 1840 AD. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that explosive eruptions and pyroclastic flows from

11766-564: Was divided into 3 raions within the Armenian SSR : Masis raion , Artashat raion , and Ararat raion (known as Vedi raion until 1968)—there was also the Gharabaghlar raion which was formed in 1937 but later dissolved and attached to the Vedi raion in 1951, its administrative center was the town Urtsadzor . With the territorial administration reform of 1995, the 3 raions were consolidated into

11877-572: Was found that the present glaciers on the summit of Ararat extend as low as an elevation of 3,900 meters (12,800 ft) on the north-facing slope, and an elevation of 4,200 meters (13,800 ft) on its south-facing slope. Using pre-existing aerial imagery and remote sensing data, Sarıkaya and others studied the extent of the ice cap on Mount Ararat between 1976 and 2011. They discovered that this ice cap had shrunk to 8.0 km (3.1 sq mi) by 1976 and to 5.7 km (2.2 sq mi) by 2011. They calculated that between 1976 and 2011,

11988-455: Was historically opposed to ascents of Ararat on religious grounds. Thomas Stackhouse , an 18th-century English theologian, noted that "All the Armenians are firmly persuaded that Noah's ark exists to the present day on the summit of Mount Ararat, and that in order to preserve it, no person is permitted to approach it." In response to its first ascent by Parrot and Abovian, one high-ranking Armenian Apostolic Church clergyman commented that to climb

12099-512: Was only natural that the Artaxiad monarchs should declare themselves philhellenes, yet it must not be thought that their religious beliefs ceased to be what they had been of old: staunchly Zoroastrian ." David Marshall Lang adds that the Hellenistic religion and the pantheon of the Classical divinities had undoubtedly become popular amongst the upper classes in the later Artaxiad period. During

12210-496: Was the home of the gods. With the rise of Christianity, the mythology associated with pagan worship of the mountain was lost. Ararat was the geographical center of ancient Armenia . In the 19th-century era of romantic nationalism , when an Armenian state did not exist, Ararat symbolized the historical Armenian nation-state. In 1861 Armenian poet Mikael Nalbandian , witnessing the Italian unification , wrote to Harutiun Svadjian in

12321-480: Was transferred to Artaxata. Over a dozen stone boundary markers have been discovered on the territory of modern Armenia from the time of the reign of Artaxias with Aramaic inscriptions; before their discovery, the existence of these stones was attested by Moses of Khorene . In these inscriptions Artaxias claims descent from the Orontid dynasty, calling himself "King Artaxias, the son of Orontid Zariadres." Though Greater Armenia had only been superficially affected by

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