Mount Ararat

Mount Ararat (Turkish: Ağrı Dağı; Armenian: Արարատ; Kurdish: Grîdax or Çiyayê Agirî) is the tallest peak in  the Armenian Highlands and modern-day Turkey. The mountain is always capped with snow, and it is a dormant volcano. 

It is in Iğdır Province, near the northeast corner of Turkey, 16 km west of Iran and 32 km south of the Armenian border. Although lying outside the borders of modern Armenia, the mountain is the principal national symbol of Armenia and has historically been considered a sacred mountain by Armenians. It has featured prominently in Armenian literature and art and is an icon for Armenian irredentism. It is depicted on the coat of arms of Armenia along with Noah's Ark.

 History 
This area was the Armenian kingdom of Ararat (in Assyrian: Urartu).  Armenians lived here for nearly 3000 years. In the 16th century the mountain became part of the border between the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid dynasty of Persia. In 1828 it became the border of the Russian Empire. In 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne put Ararat in the administration of Turkey. It remains a national symbol of Armenia. It was also part of the short-lived Kurdish Republic of Ararat.

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 References 

Category:Volcanoes of Turkey
Category:Mountains of Turkey