Mount Ararat (Armenian: Masis; Turkish: Ağrı Dağı; Kurdish: Çiyaye Agiri; Azeri: Ağrıdağ; Persian: Kūh-e Nūḥ) is a dormant, compound volcanic mountain, consisting of two ancient volcanic peaks, located in present-day eastern Turkey very close to the border with Armenia. Strongly associated with Armenian culture, mythology, and identity, Mt. Ararat is also where, according to some legends, Noah's Ark landed after the biblical flood.

亚拉拉特山（亚美尼亚语：Masis；土耳其语：Ağrı Dağı；库尔德语：Çiyaye Agiri；阿塞拜疆语：Ağrıdağ；波斯语：Kūh-e Nūḥ）是一座休眠的复合火山，由两座古老的火山峰组成，位于今天的土耳其东部，非常靠近亚美尼亚的边界。亚拉拉特山与亚美尼亚文化、神话和身份密切相关，根据一些传说，亚拉拉特山也是圣经中洪水过后诺亚方舟登陆的地方。

(资料图片仅供参考)

地理环境

Located roughly halfway between Lake Van to the southwest in Turkey and Lake Sevan to the northeast in Armenia, the Ararat Mountains dominate the Armenian Highlands. The Ararat Mountains are located within the southern end of the Ararat Plain, and they thus create a fertile agricultural zone with a temperate climate. Together, the Ararat Mountains straddle the borders of what are present-day Turkey, Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Mt. Ararat (“Greater Ararat”) rises to a height of 5,137 m (16,854 ft). Mt. Ararat's neighboring mountain, Little Ararat (“Ararat the Lesser”) rises upwards to 3,925 m (12,877 ft). Mt. Ararat and Little Ararat are the highest and sixth highest points in Turkey. On a clear day, both can be seen from downtown Yerevan, Armenia, which is 54 km (33 mi) away from Mt. Ararat. The monastery Khor Virip additionally affords stunning views of the Ararat Mountains from Armenia.

亚拉拉特山位于土耳其西南部的凡湖和亚美尼亚东北部的塞万湖之间，占据了亚美尼亚高地。这些山脉位于亚拉腊平原的南端，因此形成了气候温和的肥沃农业区。亚拉拉特山跨越了今天的土耳其、亚美尼亚、伊朗和阿塞拜疆的边界。亚拉拉特山（“大亚拉拉特”）高达5137米（16854英尺），邻近的山峰被称为“小亚拉拉特”，海拔高达 3925 米（12877 英尺）。总的来说，它们分别是土耳其的最高点和第六高点。在晴朗的日子里，从距离亚拉腊山 54 公里（33英里）的亚美尼亚首都埃里温市中心可以看到这两座山。此外，人们还能从亚美尼亚的霍尔维拉普修道院 (Khor Virap)看到亚拉拉特山的迷人景色。

古代神话传说

In ancient times, successive Mesopotamian peoples regarded the mountains as sacred, but they were also wary of the fierce, local inhabitants. The Sumerians, Akkadians, and Assyrians each believed that Mt. Ararat was not only the home of their gods, but also the source of their civilizations, as the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flowed downwards from the mountain to fertilize the lands adjacent to their cities and settlements. Assyrian texts, in particular, praise the holiness and majesty of the mountains, describing them as a place where “heavenly birds cannot reach.”

在古代，美索不达米亚的各个民族都将这些山脉视为圣地，但他们也对当地凶猛的居民感到恐惧。苏美尔人、阿卡德人和亚述人都认为亚拉拉特山不仅是他们神的故乡，也是他们文明的摇篮，因为底格里斯河和幼发拉底河的水从山上流下，滋润了他们城市和定居点。亚述文献赞扬了山的神圣与威严，将其描述为“天鸟无法到达”的地方。

Mesopotamians, however, also associated the mountains with the fierce tribes that inhabited Mt. Ararat's slopes; regularly, they raided Mesopotamian villages and settlements. Another perceived danger associated with Mt. Ararat was that of disastrous flooding. Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians each had their own flood account, but they all in turn referenced the Mountains of Ararat as the place in which their respective heroes found refuge after surviving torrential rains and perilous waters. An ancient Akkadian tale from the 3rd millennium BCE delineates the exploits of a man called “Utnapishti” who became immortal and survived a catastrophic flood by landing his vessel upon the tallest mountains in the north of his country. Gilgamesh, the celebrated Sumerian hero, reached a northerly mountain called “Mashu,” which was the location through which the sun rose and set every day.

然而，美索不达米亚人也将山脉与居住在山坡上的凶猛部落联系在一起，这些部落经常袭击美索不达米亚的村庄和定居点。另一个与亚拉拉特山有关的威胁是灾难性的洪水。苏美尔人、阿卡德人和巴比伦人都有自己的洪水记述，但都提到亚拉拉特山是他们各自的英雄在暴雨中幸存下来的避难所和危险水域。公元前三千年的一个古老的阿卡德故事，描述了一个叫乌特纳皮斯蒂的人的事迹，他通过将船停在他国家北部最高的山峰上而成为不朽的人，并在一场灾难性的洪水中幸存下来。吉尔伽美什，这位著名的苏美尔英雄，到达了一座被称为“Mashu”的北方山峰，那里是太阳每天日出日落的地方。

Ancient Armenians called the mountain “Azatn Masis,” which meant “holy” and “free” in the Old Armenian language. Kajs, which were guardian spirits of royal and noble families, dwelled on Greater Ararat. Pagan Armenians found it taboo to scale the mountains as they believed, much like the Sumerians, that Mt. Ararat was the place where the sun came to rest during the night. Even after their conversion to Christianity, Armenians were still reluctant to risk climbing to Mt. Ararat's peak. There is, nevertheless, a legend that King Trdat III, Armenia's first Christian king, climbed Mt. Ararat to bring down stones for the foundations of eight new churches.

古代亚美尼亚人称这座山为“Azatn Masis”，在古亚美尼亚语中意为“神圣”和“自由”。 在大亚拉拉特山上居住着 kajs，即皇室和贵族家庭的守护神。亚美尼亚异教徒认为爬山是禁忌，因为他们像苏美尔人一样相信亚拉拉特山是太阳在夜间休息的地方。即使在他们皈依基督教之后，亚美尼亚人仍然不愿意冒险爬上亚拉拉特山的山顶。然而，有一个传说，亚美尼亚的第一位基督教国王蒂里达特三世 (King Tiridates III) 爬上亚拉腊山 (Mount Ararat) ，搬运石头来建造八座新教堂的地基。

Armenians have many myths and legends about the base of the Ararat Mountains, many of which predate Christianity, and include dragons, snakes, and other reptilian monsters. These myths and legends are strongly correlated with the volcanic steam, ash, and black waters that spewed forth out of Mt. Ararat during eruptions and earthquakes. Movses Khorenatsi (c. 410-490s CE), an Armenian historian and the author of the History of Armenia, wrote that Armenians are the direct descendants of Noah through his son Japheth, and that Haik, the mythical founder of Armenia and ancestor to all Armenians, established his nation within the vicinity of Mt. Ararat.

亚美尼亚人有许多以亚拉拉特山为背景的神话传说，其中许多是在基督教传播之前就有的，包括龙、蛇和其他爬行动物的怪物。这些神话传说与火山爆发和地震期间从亚拉拉特山喷出的火山蒸汽、火山灰和岩浆密切相关。亚美尼亚历史学家、《亚美尼亚历史》的作者莫夫谢斯·霍列纳齐（约公元410-490年代）写道，亚美尼亚人是诺亚的儿子雅弗（Japheth）的直系后裔，而神话中的亚美尼亚创始人、所有亚美尼亚人的祖先海克（Haik）在亚拉拉特山附近建立了自己的国家。

圣经和历史文献中的亚拉拉特山

There is much historical speculation as to when and how the biblical story of Noah and the great flood first became associated with Mt. Ararat. Some linguists contend that “Ararat” is merely a variation of “Urartu,” which was the leading ancient polity to the north of Assyria during the Iron Age. The Hebrew Book of Jubilees composed around c. 100 BCE, related that Noah's Ark was located on "Mount Lubar" in "the land of Ararat." (Jubilees 5.28, 10.15). The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37-100 CE) used the "Ararat" to denote a mountain south of Lake Van, but he subsequently attested traditions that Noah's Ark came to rest on "Mount Baris." (Jewish Antiquities 1.93)

关于圣经中诺亚和大洪水的故事何时以及如何与亚拉拉特山联系在一起，有很多历史猜测。一些语言学家认为，“Ararat”只不过是“Urartu”的变体，后者是铁器时代亚述以北的主要古代国家。公元前 100 年左右编写的希伯来文《禧年书》提到，诺亚方舟位于“亚拉拉特之地”的“卢巴山”。(Jubilees 5.28, 10.15)。犹太历史学家弗拉维乌斯·约瑟夫（公元37-100年）曾用“Ararat”来表示凡湖以南的一座山，但后来证实了诺亚方舟停靠在“巴里斯山”的传说。(Jewish Antiquities 1.93)

In ways similar to the older Mesopotamian myths and legends, the Bible references the Mt. Ararat in Genesis 8.4 in relation to the story of Noah:

...And the ark rested in the seventh month, and on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

与古代美索不达米亚神话和传说类似，《圣经》在创世记 8:4中提到了亚拉拉特山与诺亚的故事有关：

...... 七月十七日，方舟停靠在亚拉拉特山。

The Qu'ran is explicit in naming the mountain upon which Noah's ark landed as “Mt. Judi” and not Mt. Ararat:

A voice cried out: 'Earth, swallow up your waters. Heaven, cease your rain'. The floods abated and His will was done. The ark came to rest upon al-Judi, and a voice declared: 'Gone are the evil-doers'. (11:43)

《古兰经》明确将诺亚方舟停靠的山命名为“朱迪山”，而不是亚拉拉特山：

一个声音喊道：‘大地，吞下你的水吧。天堂，请停止你的雨。洪水退去，祂的旨意成就了。方舟停靠在朱迪山上，一个声音宣布：“作恶者已经离开。” (11:43)

The Arab geographer Ibn Khordadbeh (c. 820-912 CE) and the Arab historian Abu al-Hasan 'Ali al-Masudi (c. 896-956 CE) both asserted that the ark came to rest in in "Assyria", not too far from one of the sources of the Tigris River.

阿拉伯地理学家伊本·胡尔达兹比赫(Ibn Khordadbeh)（约820-912年）和阿拉伯历史学家阿布哈桑·阿里·伊本·海珊·伊本·阿里·马苏第（Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Masudi）（约896-956年）声称，方舟停靠在“亚述”，离底格里斯河的一个源头不太远。

Previously it was thought by some historians that the presence of Jews in Armenia's Araxes Valley might have provided the catalyst in the reassociation of Mt. Ararat with Noah's Ark, but this assertion seems improbable. Just like historians throughout early medieval Europe (c. 400-1000 CE), early Armenian historians opined that the biblical Ararat was located in the ancient province of Corduene (Armenian: Korduk), situated to the southeast of Lake Van. Today this area is part of modern Turkey, and close to the source of the Tigris River and the city of Cizre. The arrival of European crusaders and intermarriage between Armenians and European crusaders in the 11th and 12th century CE seem to have accelerated the reassertion that Mt. Ararat was the spot where the Ark came to land. When Europeans returned to continental Europe from the Holy Land or Armenia, they reiterated that Mt. Ararat, located in the heart of Armenia, was where the ark could be found. It is worth noting that in later times, Mt. Ararat marked the frontier between Turkey and Iran between c. 1600-1800 CE.

此前，一些历史学家认为，犹太人在亚美尼亚阿拉斯河谷的存在可能是将亚拉拉特山与诺亚方舟重新联系起来的催化剂，但这种说法似乎不太可能。与中世纪欧洲（大约公元 400-1000 年）的历史学家一样，亚美尼亚历史学家认为圣经中的亚拉拉特山位于古科尔杜恩（亚美尼亚语：Korduk）省。), 位于凡湖东南部。今天这个地区是现代土耳其的一部分，靠近底格里斯河的源头和吉兹雷市。公元11、12世纪欧洲十字军的到来以及他们与亚美尼亚人的通婚，似乎加速了亚拉拉特山是方舟上岸地的再界定。当欧洲人从圣地回到欧洲大陆时，他们重申位于亚美尼亚中心的亚拉拉特山是可以找到方舟的地方。值得注意的是，在后世，亚拉拉特山在约公元1600-1800年期间是土耳其和伊朗的边界。

与亚美尼亚人和文化的联系

For thousands of years, the Armenian people have utilized the Ararat Mountains as emblems of their national and cultural identity. Appearing frequently in modern material culture - on everything from t-shirts and bumper stickers to wooden sculptures and necklaces - Mt. Ararat has also graced Armenian currency, stamps, and its three coats of arms since 1918 CE. Although Armenians see Mt. Ararat as a symbol for their deep losses and tragedies in the 20th century CE as it currently lies within the borders of Turkey, they also view the mountains as intricately connected to their faith, religious beliefs, and artistic traditions.

几千年来，亚美尼亚人民一直将亚拉拉特山视为其民族和文化身份的象征。亚拉拉特山经常出现在现代物质文化中，从T恤衫和保险杠贴纸到木制雕塑和项链，自公元1918年以来，亚美尼亚的货币、邮票和所有三种亚美尼亚盾形纹章也都出现过亚拉拉特山。尽管亚美尼亚人把亚拉拉特山看作是他们在公元20世纪遭受深重损失和悲剧的象征，因为它目前位于土耳其境内，但他们也认为这座山与他们的信仰、宗教信念和艺术传统有着密切联系。

参考书目：

American Oriental Society. "Armenian Traditions about Mt. Ararat." Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 5 (1855 - 1856), pp. 189-191.

ARARAT – Encyclopaedia IranicaAccessed 29 Apr 2019.

AÄŸri DaÄŸi (the so-called Ararat)--LiviusAccessed 25 Jan 2018.

Bryce, James. "On Armenia and Mount Ararat." Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 22, No. 3 (1877 -1878), pp. 169-186.

Eberhard Schrader. The cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament. University of Michigan Library, 1885, 64-66.

Lewis, J.P. "Noah and the Flood: In Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Tradition." The Biblical Archaeologist, December 1984, p. 237.

Nersessian, V. Treasures from the Ark. Oxford University Press, 2001.

Panossian, R. The Armenians. Columbia University Press, 2006.

Petrosyan, Hamlet. "The Sacred Mountain." Armenian Folk Arts, Culture, and Identity, edited by Abrahamian, Levon and Nancy Sweezy (eds). Indiana University Press: Bloomington, 2001, 33-39.

原文作者：James Blake Wiener

作家和前历史学教授。他拥有世界历史的硕士学位，对跨文化交流和世界历史特别感兴趣。他是《世界历史百科全书》的共同创始人，曾任该书的宣传总监。

原文网址：https://www.worldhistory.org/Mount_Ararat/

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