Mount Aragats is the highest peak in Armenia, with its northern summit reaching 4,090 meters. It’s not only the tallest peak in Armenia, but also the highest point in the Armenian Highland and the Lesser Caucasus. Aragats was formed mainly through volcanic phases. Though it is no longer active, the evidence of volcanic activity is still visible in the shape of its slopes.
According to legend, the name Aragats comes from King Ara the Beautiful. As recorded by Moses Khorenatsi, a 5th-century Armenian historian, Ara Geghetsik (Ara the Beautiful) was an Armenian king. The Assyrian queen Semiramis fell in love with him and wanted to marry him, but when Ara refused, she led a military campaign to capture Armenia.
During the battle, Ara was killed on the slopes of a smaller mountain, which later became known as Ara Ler, or Mountain of Ara. According to tradition, his crown was hidden on the top of the nearby greater mountain, which was later named Aragats, meaning “the throne of Ara” or “Ara’s crown.”
The mountain is home to beautiful alpine meadows, with wildflowers and snowdrops even in summer. Several important monuments are located on the slopes of Aragats, including the 7th-century Amberd Fortress, with its 1,000-year-old church Vahramashen, the Armenian Alphabet Park—featuring 39 stone sculptures to mark the 1,600th anniversary of the Armenian alphabet—and the Byurakan Observatory, founded in 1946.
Comment (0)