Aragats Northern summit / Aragatsotn / Armenia

Highest point: Northern summit of Aragats (4,090 m)
Coordinates: 40°31'24.48, 44°11'45.92

The Aragats Massif is located in the western part of Armenia, between the Ararat and Shirak plains and the Akhuryan and Kasagh rivers. The Massif is particularly high compared to the surrounding area, and consists of an outwardly regular, low-rising cone with jagged peaks and slightly slanted slopes.

Historians believe the name of the Massif derives from the words Ara (the name of an ancient god) and gah (meaning “crown”), meaning “Crown of Ara”. Traces of ancient cultures, including a prehistoric irrigation network, enormous dragon sculptures near wells and marvelous medieval structures have all been preserved on the slopes of Aragats.

Aragats is the fourth highest mountain in the Armenian Highland and the highest in Armenia. The summit has four sharp apices – the highest of which is the northern apex (4,090 m), followed by the western apex (3,995 m), the eastern apex (3,908 m) and the southern apex (3,887 m).

The volcanic crater of Aragats is 350 meters deep and 3 kilometers in circumference, lying in the middle of the four pyramid-shaped rocky apices. The relief around the top of the mountain is extremely fragmented, with residual glaciers preserved in the upper parts of several valleys. The plateau near the peak of Aragats and the gentle mountain slopes below it are broken up by several deep valleys and gorges. Many of these gorges are dry, but melting slow can cause them to flood very quickly. Coldwater springs arise from the volcanic rocks of Aragats in the hundreds, and beautiful lakes (Lar, Amberd, Umroy, and Lessing) have formed in the basins of glacial cirques and moraines.

In addition to tourists, the mountain attracts scientific researchers, as the Byurakan Observatory is located on the southeastern slope of the mountain, and several High Mountain Meteorological Stations for Cosmic Ray Research are dotted around the plateau near the peak. Not far away is a large reservoir in the Mantash valley.

Aragats is featured heavily in Armenian stories, songs, paintings and poetry and many outstanding Armenian cultural figures – including Alishan, Komitas, Tumanyan, Charents, Saryan and Isahakyan – have mentioned Aragats in their works.