Ararat

Overview

Mount Ararat is the tallest peak in Turkey. This snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone is located in the Igdir Province, near the northeast corner of Turkey, 16 km (10 miles) west of the Iranian and 32 km (20 miles) south of the Armenian border.
A smaller 3,896 m (12,782 ft) cone, Little Ararat , rises from the same base, southeast of the main peak . The lava plateau stretches out between the two pinnacles. The last activity on the mountain was a major earthquake in July 1840 centered around the Ahora Gorge, a northeast trending chasm that drops 1,825 metres (6,000 ft) from the top of the mountain.

Names:
In many languages except Kurdish and Turkish, the mountain is referred to as Ararat. In Abrahamic religions, the mountain is the place Noah landed after the flood.
The Turks call it Agri Dagi (Mountain of Pain), and Kurds call it the ciyaye Agiri (Mountain of Fire), probably a reference to its volcanic activity.

History:
Mount Ararat has been the subject of search attempts to recover Noah's Ark. In the 1950s, the Frenchman De Navarre claimed to have found a piece of wood from the ark, but subsequent scientific dating showed it to be too recent. Another famous searcher for the ark on Mount Ararat was astronaut James Irwin, who walked on the moon in 1971. The story of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat is an important feature of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

( Overview info from wikipedia )

Getting There

The climb is long, but there is a fairly easy route from the south in late summer for climbers who are familiar with the use of axe and crampons. Snow covers the last 400 m year-round , and the glacier begins around 4,800 m (15,750 ft).There are two possible camp sites on the mountain . First camp in 3200 m and the second one in 4200 m .

You can take car (van) from Dogobayazit to the mountain . It takes about 1 hour from Dogobayazit city to the region . Half of the road is gravel .
From the end of the gravel road (2200 m) you have a 4-5 hour easy climbing (treking) trough a grassland with a low slope to the first camp .

From C1 (3200 m) you have a 3-4 hour climbing to the second camp . The way is a stony high slope . It's better to climb another 400 m for aclimatization ant then come back to C2 .

From C2 (4200 m) you have a 4-5 hour climbing to the summit . There is a great glacier in your right hand . From 4800 m the top glacier and the wind begins ! The snow is frozen and you should use treking poles , it is better to carry ice axe and crampons with yourself , may be you'll need them . Teams start their climbing at 3-4 am and often reach the summit at 7-8 am , then they come down direct to the end of gravel road where cars waiting for them .

In summer , there is glacier water in camps . You can rent some horses for carrying your loads from the end of road to C2 nad back .

Red Tape

The Turkish government requires a climbing permit and use of a certified Turkish guide. Arrangements can take two months to complete . You can find some treking companies in Dogobayazit city which will get the permit for you and will arrange your climbing programs.

Camping

Camping with out the permission of government or treking company who is the owner of the mountain (!) is not allowed !! There is no hut in the region .

Camp 2

External Links

All about Ararat in Wikipedia
Mt. Ararat Webcam
Map of Erzurum province
Topograghic map of Ararat (Agri Dagi) Oaj Mountain Climbing Club