Ararat, Armenia

Mount Ararat
Satellite picture of Mount Ararat
Elevation:	5,165 metres (16,945 ft)
Location:	Turkey
Range:	Caucasus Mountains
Coordinates:	39°42′ N 44°17′ E
Type:	Stratovolcano
Age of rock:
Last eruption:	within the past 10,000 years

Ararat redirects here. For other uses see Ararat (disambiguation).

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.

The last activity on the mountain was a major earthquake in July 1840 centered around the Ahora Gorge, a northeast trending chasm that drops 1825 metres (6,000 ft) from the top of the mountain.

Symbolism

Ararat from Yerevan

Even though the mountain is located in Turkey, Ararat is the national symbol of Armenia, where it is sometimes called Masis (Մասիս), and is featured in the center 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.