Location
Overview
The mountains of Ararat are where, in the account of the Flood, Noah's ark finally came to rest as the waters receded.
The ark rests
"And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat" (Genesis 8:4). From there Noah sent out the raven and the dove, and at last the dove returned with an olive leaf.
A new beginning
On these heights Noah, his family, and the animals left the ark, and he built an altar and offered sacrifice. God set the rainbow in the cloud as the sign of his covenant never again to destroy the earth by flood (Genesis 8:18–9:17).
A land of refuge
"Ararat" was a real region — the kingdom of Urartu in eastern Anatolia. It reappears later as a place of refuge when Sennacherib's murderers fled "into the land of Armenia [Ararat]" (2 Kings 19:37).
Events Here
Noah's ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat
Scripture References
4 versesGenesis1 verse
Genesis 8:4
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
2 Kings1 verse
2 Kings 19:37
And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. Armenia: Heb. Ararat
Isaiah1 verse
Isaiah 37:38
And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. Armenia: Heb. Ararat
Jeremiah1 verse
Jeremiah 51:27
Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.
Archaeology & History
Ararat corresponds to ancient Urartu, a kingdom centred on the highlands of eastern Turkey, Armenia, and north-west Iran. Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı), a snow-capped volcanic peak of nearly 5,200 m near the Turkish-Armenian border, is its towering symbol and the traditional resting place of the ark, though Genesis names a mountain range rather than a single summit.
Objects mentioned here
Frequently asked about Mountains of Ararat
Where is Mountains of Ararat today?
Today, Mountains of Ararat corresponds to Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı), Turkey.
What happened at Mountains of Ararat in the Bible?
Key biblical events at Mountains of Ararat include noah's ark comes to rest on the mountains of ararat.
Where is Mountains of Ararat first mentioned in the Bible?
Mountains of Ararat is first mentioned in Genesis 8:4.
How often is Mountains of Ararat mentioned in the Bible?
Mountains of Ararat is mentioned in 4 verses across 4 books: Genesis, 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah.
Where did Noah’s ark land?
Genesis says the ark came to rest "upon the mountains of Ararat" — a mountainous region in eastern Anatolia (ancient Urartu), symbolised today by Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey.
Is Ararat a single mountain?
The Bible refers to the "mountains of Ararat," a region, not one peak. Mount Ararat in Turkey is its best-known summit and the traditional landing site.