Mountains of Ararat
Where are the mountains of Ararat? The highlands of ancient Urartu, now eastern Türkiye and its neighbours, where Noah's ark came to rest.
- Today
- Eastern Anatolia, around Lake Van (Urartu)
- Country
- Türkiye, Armenia and Iran
- Status
- Historic region: tradition points to Mount Ararat
- Identification
- Probable
The Bible says that after the flood Noah's ark came to rest 'on the mountains of Ararat' (Genesis 8:4). This refers to the mountains of a region, not to a single peak. Ararat is the name of the kingdom known in Assyrian sources as Urartu, centred on Lake Van; elsewhere in the Bible it appears as a land or kingdom (2 Kings 19:37; Jeremiah 51:27). The idea that the ark landed on the mountain now called Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı) is a later tradition, while some early Syriac and Jewish interpretations, as well as Islamic tradition, point to Mount Cudi near Cizre. The exact place is not known.
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- Abraham
- Joseph
- Noah
- Elijah
- Adam
- Elisha
- Eve
- Isaac
- Sarah
- Jacob
- Jeremiah
- Isaiah
- Methuselah
- Seth
- Abel
- Cain
- Ishmael
- Hagar
- Lot
- Rachel
Related verse collections
- Bible Verses About Hope
- Bible Verses of Comfort
- Bible Verses About Fear and Anxiety
- Bible Verses About Creation
- Bible Verses About Courage
- Bible Verses About Repentance
- Bible Verses About Family
- Bible Verses About Marriage
- Bible Verses About Jesus
- Bible Verses About Justice
- Bible Verses About Holiness
- Bible Verses About Waiting on God
- Bible Verses About Witness
- Bible Verses About Loneliness
- Bible Verses About New Beginnings
- Bible Verses About Guidance
- Bible Verses About God's Protection
- Bible Verses About Trials and Testing
- Bible Verses About Joy
- Bible Verses About Healing
- Bible Verses About Strength
- Bible Verses About Peace and Rest
- Bible Verses About God's Promises
- Bible Verses About Work and Labor
- Bible Verses About Mercy
Reading plans
- The Bible for Beginners — 10 Days
- Advent — 24 Days to Christmas
- The Bible in a Year — 365 Days from Cover to Cover
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Where are the mountains of Ararat?
The mountains of Ararat are today largely in Türkiye, in the highlands around Lake Van in eastern Anatolia; the ancient land of Urartu also reached into neighbouring parts of Armenia and Iran. The Bible says Noah's ark came to rest on these mountains but names no single peak (Genesis 8:4). Tradition usually points to Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı, 5,137 m) on the border of Ağrı and Iğdır provinces, while an older tradition links the site with Mount Cudi near Cizre, where a tomb attributed to Noah is shown.
Did Noah's ark land on Mount Ararat?
The Bible does not name a single peak; the ark came to rest 'on the mountains of Ararat' (Genesis 8:4). Identifying it with today's Mount Ararat is a later tradition. The region is ancient Urartu, but the exact landing place is unknown.
Has Noah's ark been found?
No find has been proven. The Durupınar formation near Doğubayazıt is popularly presented as 'Noah's Ark', but geologists regard it as a natural rock formation. The Bible says only that the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8:4).
What was the land of Ararat?
Ararat is the ancient kingdom called Urartu in Assyrian records; it was centred on Lake Van, and its capital Tushpa stood where Van Fortress is today. The Bible records that the sons who killed the Assyrian king Sennacherib fled to the land of Ararat (2 Kings 19:37).