What is the traditional name for the mountain where Noah's Ark came to rest?

The story behind the answer

Mount Ararat is the traditional mountain associated with where Noah's Ark came to rest.

Genesis does not actually name a single peak called Mount Ararat. It says that the ark came to rest on the “mountains of Ararat,” a phrase generally connected with the ancient region of Urartu in the Armenian highlands. Later tradition and popular usage identified the prominent volcanic massif now called Mount Ararat with the ark’s resting place.

Mount Ararat is in present-day eastern Turkey, near the borders of Armenia and Iran. Its highest summit rises to 5,137 metres, making it the tallest mountain in Turkey. The mountain has two principal peaks, Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat.

The distinction between the biblical plural phrase and the singular traditional mountain matters. Genesis gives a regional description, while later interpretation supplies the specific peak. Reports of ark remains on Ararat have appeared repeatedly, but no discovery has been scientifically verified as the biblical ark.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

Add question to a list

Choose a list to keep this question in: