Meanig - "Mountains of Urartu or Armenia" also "sacred land or high land"
Mount Ararat (16,946 ft, 5165 m) is known as the mountain where Noah's Ark came to rest. (Gen. 8:4). It lies in eastern Turkey near the Armenian and Iranian borders. There are several other mountains in the area. The closest is Little Ararat (12,877 ft, 3896 m). Most people think of Mount Ararat as the place where Noah's Ark landed, but Bible identifies it as the "Mountains of Ararat" or "Land of Ararat."(Genesis 8:4). In Jer. 51:27, the name denotes the central or southern portion of Armenia. It is, however, generally applied to a high and almost inaccessible mountain which rises majestically from the plain of the Araxes.
The Turkish name for Mount Ararat is Agri Dagi (which means mountain of pain). It is the tallest mountain in Turkey and among the tallest in the world. The mountain has a great chasm called the Ahora Gorge which is so large that it is observable from space. This chasm drops steeply 6000 ft from the top of the mountain. Ararat is of volcanic origin and last erupted in the 1840 with a violent earthquake. Its geographical location is 39.70 N, 44.28 E.
The mountain and the area around it is composed of lava. The terrain in the higher elevations is primarily composed of loose rock and ice making climbing difficult and dangerous. There are so many loose rocks that numerous climbers have been injured by slipping on loose rock or struck by falling rocks. The top of the mountain is heavily glaciated. The glaciers have contributed to loose rock production by grinding anything in its path. The top of the mountain is covered by over 300 feet of ice in some places which never completely melts. The mountain has been to focus for the search for Noah's Ark. Occasionally in dry years enough ice may melt to expose areas that were previously covered in ice. Numerous eyewitnesses that claimed to have visited Noah's Ark, have reportedly done so in these dryer years. Expeditions continue to survey the mountain for remains of Noah's Ark.
Scriptures
Gen. 8:4
2 Kings 19:37
Isa. 37:38
Jer. 51:27
Last Updated 01-24-2008
The Genesis Files
