Mount Ara (, ''Ara leř'') is a polygenetic stratovolcanic cone in Armenia's

Kotayk Province Kotayk (, ), is a provinces of Armenia, province (''Administrative divisions of Armenia, marz'') of Armenia. It is located at the central part of the country. Its capital is Hrazdan and the largest city is Abovyan. It is named after the Kotayk c ...

. The town of

Zoravan Zoravan (; formerly, Ghargavank and Pokravan; historically and prior to 1972–80, Khacho) is a village situated along the lower slopes of Mount Ara in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. The village was established in 1972–80, during which time it ...

and a nearby church,

Gharghavank Gharghavank (also, Zoravor Church, ) is a ruined Armenian Apostolic church located on the outskirts of the village of Zoravan, at the lower slopes of Mount Ara in Kotayk Province, Armenia. To get to the church, turn left immediately after the s ...

, are located along the mountain's lower slopes. The town of

Yeghvard Yeghvard () is a town and urban municipal community in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. It is located 39 kilometres southwest of the provincial centre Hrazdan. As of the 2022 census, the town had a population of 12,279. Etymology There are seve ...

is below the mountain. Located north of Yerevan, the mountain has a destroyed crater and a base diameter of 9 km at an altitude of 1,900m. The volcano is constructed from lava and agglomerate layers with intrusions of andesite and dacite. The slopes on the north and east are forested. One flank cone south of Arailer has erupted andesite. Andesite also appears in the former crater and lava flows spread to the

Hrazdan River The Hrazdan (, ) is a major river and the second largest in Armenia. It originates at the northwest extremity of Lake Sevan and flows south through the Kotayk Province and Armenia's capital, Yerevan; the lake in turn is fed by several streams. In ...

. One K-Ar date indicates an age of 1.3 Ma, there are two subsidiary cones Nokhut and Shakhvard. Due to the similarity of the typical Armenian plateaus, it is very similar in terms of height, valley and shape to

Mount Göztepe Mount Göztepe (), is a mountain of 2594 meters high that naturally determines the border of Varto and Bulanık districts of Muş. Geology and geomorphology Mount Göztepe located south of the Akdoğan Mountain range and in the north of Bili ...

Muş Muş (; ; ) is a city in eastern Turkey. It is the seat of Muş Province and Muş District.İl Beled ...

province. The mountain has a high biodiversity with '' Sympecma paedisca'', ''

Colias aurorina ''Colias aurorina'', the Greek clouded butterfly or dawn clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Greece, the Near East, the Caucasus, and in Iran and Turkmenistan. Description ''Colias aurorina'' is one of the larg ...

'', '' Parnassius mnemosyne rjabovi'', '' Armenohelops armeniacus'', '' Cylindronotus erivanus'', '' Conizonia kalashiani'', ''

Parnassius apollo The Apollo (''Parnassius apollo''), also called the mountain Apollo , is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. Etymology The species is named in the classical tradition for the deity Apollo. Subspecies Subspecies include: * ''Parnassius apol ...

kashtshenkoi'', '' Dorcadion kasikoporanum'', '' Papilio alexanor orientalis'', '' Proterebia afra hyrcana'' and '' Tetralonia macroglossa'' represented. '' Conizonia'' is endemic on Arailer. The ecosystem is well preserved apart from a minor threat from grazing. The Mountain also holds high variety of bird species, including Golden Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Caucasian Black Grouse, Red-billed Chough, White-throated Robin, and others. For the reason, the area was recognized as Important Bird Area.

Gallery

File:Mount Ara, Aragatsotn, Armenia, by Alexander Mkhitaryan.jpg, Mount Ara File:Ուխտավայր.jpg, Wild mountain sorrel, poppies,

Chaerophyllum ''Chaerophyllum'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, with 35 species native to Europe, Asia, North America, and northern Africa. It includes the cultivated root vegetable '' Chaerophyllum bulbosum'' (turnip rooted chervil). F ...

macrospermum and other items of tribute sold on Mount Ara to the pilgrims of Tsaghkevank ( Kuys Varvara) 40 days after Resurrection Day (Easter). Sorrel is often braided in this fashion in Armenia and Artsakh and can be dried for extended use File:Gharghavank2.JPG, Ruins of

on a hillside of Mount Ara File:Yeghvard, Armenia.JPG, View of

from Mount Ara File:Mount Ara 16.jpg, Rock formations

References

{{Mountains of Armenia Pleistocene stratovolcanoes Subduction volcanoes Volcanoes of Armenia Mountains of Armenia Polygenetic volcanoes Stratovolcanoes of Asia