Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı in Turkish) is Turkey's highest peak at 5,137 meters, consisting of two extinct volcanic cones, one large and one small. Because it lies within the territory of the Kingdom of Urartu (9th-6th centuries BCE), the name "Ararat" is thought to derive from the word Urartu.
The mountain is associated with the "mountains of Ararat" where, according to the biblical account of Noah's flood, the ark came to rest — giving it symbolic importance for Jewish and Christian traditions. The first known ascent to the summit was made in 1829 by German physician Friedrich Parrot.
Highlights
12 km² glacier
The glacier at the summit is Turkey's largest glacial area.
Twin-cone structure
Greater and Lesser Ararat are connected by the Serdarbulak saddle at 2,700 meters elevation.
Multilingual/multicultural naming
The mountain is known by different names in many languages — Kurdish Çiyayê Agirî, Armenian Masis, Persian Kûh-i Nûh — each pointing to a different legend.
Doğubayazıt and İshak Pasha Palace
The district at the mountain's foot is home to one of the most important examples of 18th-century Ottoman palace architecture.