How old is mt. ararat

Biblical Hebrew, Assyrian and Babylonian texts all provide insights into its meaning. In the Bible, Mount Ararat was first referenced in the 7th century as the place where Noah's Ark came to rest after the Flood.

Mount Ararat has always been one of the main symbols of Armenia, for historically it was located on the territory of the Armenian Highlands. In , a peace treaty drafted between Turkey and the Soviet Union allotted this land to Turkey. The Republic of Armenia, which was created after the collapse of the USSR in , has not yet recognized this agreement. In Armenia, Mount Ararat is still considered a sacred place by many people. Legends of Mount Ararat have held a mysterious sway on the Armenian people since ancient times.

The mountain has long been honored, worshipped and believed to house the souls of brave individuals who protected it from invading armies. Due to the religious significance of Mount Ararat, for centuries Armenians were convinced that it was sacred and that mere mortals could not climb to its peak.

Mount Ararat continues to be a source of inspiration for many, including the Armenian people. The story of Noah's ark, as it is told in the Bible, is a reworking of an earlier Babylonian myth recorded in the Gilgamesh Epic.

The hero of the earlier version is one Utnapishtim, the favorite of Ea, the god of wisdom. It seems probable that the Babylonian story was based on an unusually devastating flood in the Euphrates Firat River basin, and that the ark in it grounded on the slopes of one of the Zagros mountains.

The biblical word that we read as "Ararat" could as well be read " Urartu "; the text has merely "rrt" and the proper vowels must be supplied. Urartu was the name of a historical kingdom, but the word also meant "a land far away" and "a place in the north. That doubt does not detract from the continuing interest in it, nor from the important achievements of archaeologists in deepening our understanding of the Old Testament. On the north side, Ararat has its roots in the Araxes Aras River valley.

There it rises from the valley elevation of about meters above sea level. In that area the Araxes River is the border demarcation between Turkey and Armenia. The top of the mountain is only about 30 kilometers from the border. For some years both the Turkish and the Soviet governments have been touchy about foreigners exploring on Ararat because of military security precautions. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city.

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