After seven months afloat Noah came to rest, the Bible tells us, “upon the mountains of Ararat”. Mount Ararat, an extinct volcanic massif 17,160 feet high consists of two peaks seven miles apart and separated by a saddle 8,800 feet above sea level. It stands in Turkish territory overlooking the point where the frontiers of Turkey, Iran and Soviet Armenia coverage, and is about 25 miles in diameter.
The story of the Ark is still a living tradition among the Armenians, who believe themselves to be the first race of men to appear in the world after the Deluge. Local legend maintains that the remains of the Ark were long to be seen on top of the mountain. Near the foot of a mountain chasm stood the village of Aghuri, where according to tradition, Noah built his altar and made sacrifice after his safe deliverance, and where he planted his vineyard. The village was destroyed by earthquake in 1840. A Persian legend refers to Ararat as the cradle of the human race; the Persian name for it is KohiNuh, meaning Noah’s Mountain.
For centuries the Americans believed that God forbade anyone to reach the top of Ararat and view the remains of the Ark. However on September 7, 1829, Johann Hacob von Parrot (1792-1840), a German in the Russian service, made the first successful ascent known. Since then the mountain has been climbed many times.
Picture Credit : Google
