Almost every person once heard this name - Ararat. Someone thinks that this mountain is in the territory of Armenia, someone knows the legend of Noah's Ark. Unfortunately, this often exhausts our knowledge of this unique natural phenomenon.
In reality, not much is known about Ararat itself, and the history of its origin and life is shrouded in secrets and legends.
And although Mount Ararat is not considered the highest in the world, it is part of biblical history.
Two mountains, two volcanoes
The most amazing thing is that Mount Ararat is not an ordinary mountain, but a volcano.
In addition, there are two mountains there - Ararat Big and Small. More precisely, these are two spliced cones of the volcano, one of which is lower than the other. They are separated by the Sardar-Bulak saddle. The distance from the top of the Bolshoi to the top of Lesser Ararat is more than ten kilometers.
Big Ararat has an altitude of 5165 meters. The height of Small Ararat is 3896 meters.
The mountains consist mainly of basalt rock, their surface is covered with frozen lava, and on the peaks there are eternal ice and snow, there are more than three dozen glaciers. At the same time, Ararat did not give rise to any river or lake, which is a rarity.
Vegetation on the slopes of volcanoes is practically absent.
Territorial claims
Mountains are located on the territory of several states at once, therefore, naturally, disputes arose to whom these volcanoes belong. All states wanted to be the sole owners of these magnificent mountain peaks. Disputes often ended in battles.
In the XVI-XVIII centuries, the border between Persia and the Ottoman Empire was laid through Ararat.
In 1828, the Turkmanchay Treaty was signed. Under the terms of this treaty, Big Ararat from the north side passed to the Russian Empire, and the rest of the volcano was divided between the three countries.
For Tsar Nicholas I, possession of at least part of the famous mountain was of great political importance.
At one time, part of the mountain belonged to Armenia, and until now Ararat is a symbol of the state.
But since 1921, Big and Small Ararat passed into the possession of Turkey. Of course, Armenia still cannot come to terms with this.
Volcanic activity of Ararat
Big Ararat appeared about three and a half million years ago and is the highest mountain peak in Turkey.
Small Ararat is located east of the Big. It appeared much later - about 150 thousand years ago as a result of the eruption of the volcano Big Ararat. Small Ararat is much lower than the Big.
According to the observations of scientists, the activity of the Ararat volcano began to manifest itself in the third millennium BC. The last documented strongest eruption of the volcano Big Ararat occurred in July 1840, it occurred deep underground without the release of lava. The eruption provoked an earthquake that destroyed the nearby village with the monastery.
There is practically no information about the eruption of Lesser Ararat.
When the volcanoes wake up again, no one knows. This can happen at any time.
Noah's Ark
The mountains of Ararat are widely known due to the mention in the main book of Christians - the Bible. It says that the ark of Noah moored to the Ararat lands.
Unfortunately, there is still no evidence to prove that it is these volcanoes, Big and Small Ararat, which have been found.
Legends about St. Jacob, who tried to get to the top of the mountain to bow to the holy relic, have reached our days. He made several attempts to overcome the mountain, but each time he fell asleep halfway, and when he woke up, he miraculously found himself at the foot of the mountain.
In a dream, an angel appeared to Jacob and said that the summit was untouchable; it was not recommended that mere mortals climb there. But for his perseverance and purposefulness, the saint was presented with a gift - a small particle of the ark.
Until now, the local population is convinced that it is impossible to climb to the top of Ararat. And if someone talks about being there, no one believes him. Even though there is documented evidence of these facts.
Volcano legends
Small Ararat, as well as Big, became part of myths, tales and legends.
For example, it is believed that with the help of melted ice mined from the top of the mountain, you can call a miracle bird called tetagush, which helps to defeat the locusts.
For some local peoples, Mount Ararat is considered a favorite habitat of snakes.
Many believe that on the mountain you can find inspired stone statues.
There are all sorts of legends and stories about terrible creatures imprisoned inside the cones that are eager to destroy the world, but Mount Ararat reliably hides them and does not let them out.
Conquering the peaks
In the photo, Small Ararat is always next door to his big brother. The unearthly beauty of these mountains has always attracted desperate travelers who certainly needed to get to the very top of the volcano.
Beginning in 1829, expeditions began to regularly equip themselves for the official conquest of the volcano and its study. Later, single daredevils appeared who conquered the summit of Ararat without any escort.
Now Mount Ararat is an object of constant attraction of tourists.
Any novice climber with special equipment, who will hire an experienced instructor, will be able to overcome the recalcitrant peak of Mount Ararat. The main difficulty is the passage through the glaciers, the slopes of the mountains themselves do not pose any special difficulties when climbing, as they are quite gentle.