Mount Aragats is an isolated four-peaked volcano massif in Armenia. Its northern summit, at 4,090 m (13,420 ft) above sea level, is the highest point of the Lesser Caucasus and Armenia. It is also one of the highest points in the Armenian Highlands.
The Aragats massif is surrounded by the Kasagh River on the east, the Akhurian River on the west, Ararat Plain on the south, and Shirak Plain on the north. The circumference of the massif is around 200 km (120 mi), and covers an area of 6,000 km2 (2,300 sq mi) or around 1⁄5 of Armenia’s total area. 944 km2 (364 sq mi) of the massif is located above 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
Etymology and names
According to Armenian tradition, the name of Aragats originates from the words Ara and gah, which translates to “Ara’s throne”, in reference to the legendary hero Ara the Beautiful. Aragats was mentioned by the early medieval historian Movses Khorenatsi, who in his History of Armenia claims that the mountain is named after Aramaneak [hy], the son of Hayk, the legendary patriarch of the Armenian people. Aramaneak called his possessions “the foot of Aragats” (Old Armenian: ոտն Արագածոյ, romanized: otn Aragatsoy or Արագածոտն, Aragatsotn). The modern Aragatsotn Province, dominated by the mountain, was formed in 1995.
A relatively modern name for the mountain is Alagöz (Russian: Алагёз), sometimes spelled Alagheuz, which literally means “variegated eye” in Turkish and Azerbaijani. This term was widely used up until the mid-20th century in European, Tsarist Russian, and early Soviet sources. Another version, Alagyaz (Ալագյազ), has been used in Armenian. A village on the foot of Aragats is named Alagyaz.
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