In the footsteps of Noah

Today my virtual self is seeing something I would love to see for real: Mount Ararat.

The drive from Erzurum only took about four hours, but getting here, just half an hour’s drive to the Iran border, is something to behold. Mount Ararat stands 5,137 m (16,854 ft) and has a smaller ‘Lesser Ararat’ just to the north-west. The mountain is a dormant volcano, which I didn’t know, and is the biblical resting place of Noah’s ark. The Bible states that Noah’s journey ended on the Mountains of Ararat, but the reference doesn’t actually specify the location, and some historical issues suggest places other than this one. Still, there are plenty of people who have ‘discovered’ the resting place, but they tend to be found out as hoaxes or publicity stunts.

Incidentally, there is a full-sized build of the ark in Hong Kong. Noah’s Ark (Hong Kong) So anyone that way should give it a visit.

A view from a plane.

On the edge of the Iran border.

There is no information on when Ararat erupted last, although bronze age artefacts have been found under pyroclastic flows that date from about 3rd millennium BC. There is a permanent, thick snow cap, and some researchers have put forward that the mountain may not be as high as measurements suggest, but that certainly doesn’t put the experienced climber off heading to whatever top there is, snow or otherwise. The first recorded ascent was Johann Jacob Friedrich Wilhelm Parrot and Khachatur Abovian in 1829 from the north-western slope. Their first attempt failed due to the lack of warm clothing. No kidding! But then again, when Hillary and Tensing went up Everest in 1953, many considered their apparatus to be somewhat lacking too.

I could have given it a go, but the Turkish Government insist on you having a permit, as well as a registered guide. Unfortunately for me, it can take two months to arrange, so I’ll just get a beer, sit back and look in awe from a few miles away.

Tomorrow, I head across the Iranian border. Let’s hope it’s warmer than this side.

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