Ararat
“Sacred land, possibly from Sanskrit aryavarta”
Summary
A mountainous region in Armenia where Noah's ark came to rest after the flood, and where Sennacherib's sons fled after assassinating their father.
☩Biblical References
Ararat occurs in Scripture as the name of a country, not a specific mountain peak. The 'mountains of Ararat' were the resting place of Noah's ark during the subsidence of the flood. It was also the country to which the sons of Sennacherib fled after murdering their father. Jeremiah mentions Ararat along with Minni and Ashkenaz as kingdoms summoned to arm themselves against Babylon.
☩Geographic Identification
Ararat corresponds to a mountainous plateau in western Asia from which flow the Euphrates, Tigris, Aras, and Choruk rivers, with a general elevation of 6,000 feet above sea level. The Babylonian name was Urartu. The peak now called Mount Ararat rises to 17,000 feet from the lowlands of the Araxes River, but this identification is comparatively modern. The Armenians call it Massis. The original 'mountains of Ararat' on which the ark rested were probably the Kurdish range separating Armenia from Mesopotamia.
☩Significance as Center of Human Dispersal
The elevated Armenian plateau has been considered eminently suited as the center from which the human race spread in all directions. Despite its high elevation, the region is fertile, producing wheat, barley, and grapes, while the vine is indigenous. There are indications that in early historic times rainfall was more abundant, making the climate better adapted to primitive human needs.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Ararat," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Ararat," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Ararat," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Ararat," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).