In Genesis, where did Noah’s ark come to rest after the Flood?

In Genesis, Noah’s ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat after the Flood.

Genesis 8:4 states that the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat in the seventh month of Noah’s 600th year. The wording is plural: it identifies a mountainous region rather than naming one specific summit. Ararat is traditionally associated with the area around Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey, near the borders of Armenia and Iran, but the biblical phrase does not pinpoint a modern location.

This distinction explains why proposed ark discoveries have not produced a universally accepted archaeological identification. Mount Ararat itself is a prominent volcanic peak, while “the mountains of Ararat” may refer more broadly to an ancient geographical region. Ancient Assyrian sources used related names for a kingdom called Urartu.

The account later describes Noah sending birds to assess whether the waters had receded. Genesis records that the ark eventually left its resting place only after the land had dried sufficiently for Noah and the other occupants to depart.