The
Last of the Argonauts:
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by John Brenson | Ararat | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Khor Virap |
ARARAT province is chiefly a flat plain along the eastern bank of the Araks containing many industrial towns, whereas further east mountains separate the province from Lake Sevan. Below: Khor Virap with its famous dungeon underneath, still accessible to visitors via a steep stairway. |
Mount Ararat |
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The monastery of Khor Virap is essential
to the Armenian religious beliefs and origins. It was here that Grigor
the Illuminator was imprisoned before curing the King and enabling
Armenia to be the first Christian nation in the world in A.D. 301.
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Mount Ararat - the peak on which Noah
landed. Everyone knows the story of Noah, or Noe in the Armenian language,
and despite many attempts to find the ark, it still remains hidden!
Of course, Ararat now lies in Turkish territory, but is still visible
from most of Central Armenia and is one of the symbols of the Armenian
Republic.
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