Armenian Highland - Armenian Geographic - ArmGeo.am

Mount Sis

armeniangeographic — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 09:31:11 +0000

Mount Sis, also known as “Little Ararat” is located in the Armenian Highland within the “Haykakan Par” mountain range. It has an elevation of 3,925 meters.
Mount Sis is the smaller, cone-shaped peak of the Ararat mountain massif, situated on the southern edge of the Ararat Plain, on the right bank of the Araks River.

According to H. Gabrielyan, the Great and Little Ararat share a pedestal up to 2,400 meters, above which they become separate cones, connected by the “Saddle of the Patriarch”․

Mount Sis

Since 2014, we have been organizing ascents to Mount Ararat. However, Mount Sis was inaccessible for mountaineering for many years. Now it has finally become available for ascents, offering a rare opportunity for us to organize hiking tours to it’s summit. You can become one of the lucky ones to be part of this unique experience.

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Hiking and Trekking in Armenia

Mount Sis

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

Armenia on ancient maps

What and where is Anatolia?

Cartographic war

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

armeniangeographic — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 13:53:18 +0000

Before starting the description of the position and borders of the highland, let’s understand what the term highland means.

Highlands are a physical and geographical concept. It is a combination of mountain ranges, massifs, plateaus, and intermontane basins, which are together located at a common height above sea level.

In the early geological past, the territory of Armenian highland was at the bottom of the Tethys Ocean. Tethys occupied the territory between the continents of Gondwana and Laurasia. Rocks on these continents have survived erosion and weathering for millions of years. As a result, substances settled on the bottom of the Tethys Ocean, creating a powerful complex of sediments. In the future a large Arabian plate torn from Gondwana moved north and squeezed the geosyncline of Tethys, forming a “mountain island”.

As a result of geological processes on the territory of the Tethys Ocean, the Alpide belt was formed.

Alpide belt

Armenian Highland is located in the Northern Hemisphere. It is completely located in the subtropics, from the east of Anatolia to the Caspian Sea. It is located in the territory stretching from the Colchis and Kur-Araz Lowlands to the Mesopotamian Lowland. It is situated between the Anatolian plateau and the Iranian plateau. Armenian Highland is about 500-700 meters higher than the neighboring highlands and bordered by fragmented mountains. That is why it is often called a mountain island. The average height of the highland is 1850 meters.

The highland is one of the complex nodes of the Mediterranean mountain formation. It combines fragmented mountain ranges, young volcanic massifs, and plateaus.

Volcanoes and earthquakes

The Armenian highland is one of the regions in the world with pronounced volcanism. This is manifested by a variety of effusive and intrusive rocks. The reliefs are especially pronounced on the territory of the Armenian Upland. Highland is a vast area of volcanic formations bordered by fragmented mountains. Peripheral mountain ranges are a natural barrier to the penetration of air masses. That’s why most of the precipitation falls on the windy slopes. That is why the peripheral mountains are humid, and the inner areas are characterized by a continental dry climate.

Armenian Highland is located in the Alpine-Himalayan seismically active zone. The magnitude of the earthquake may reach 11. The most active seismic areas are the fields of Yerznka, Ararat, and Shirak. The regions of Vayots Dzor, Javakhk and Zangezur are also seismically active.

Mountain-forming phenomena in the Armenian Highland are still ongoing. Evidence of this is the active volcanoes Sarakn and Tondrak.

Caldera of Nemrut

The highland is watershed. The water network belongs to the basins of the Black and Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Persian Gulf. As a mountainous country, it is rich in groundwater, which is mainly formed by the absorption of precipitation.

Territory and borders of the Armenian Highland

Different geologists and geographers marked the borders of the highlands in different ways.

Below are the geographical borders of the extreme point of the Armenian highland, obtained by observing a comparison of the complex physical-geographical method and mathematical modeling methods, according to G.T. Shirinyan:

In the north, the border stretches from the mouth of the Yeşilırmak River, along the coastline of the Black Sea to the mouth of the Çoruh River, then continues along the northern and north-eastern foot of the mountains and touches the Caspian Sea.

In the east – along the coast of the Caspian Sea it stretches to the mouth of the Sefīd-Rūd river, it stretches along the channel of this river (90-60 m wide), reaches the source of the Qizil Üzan river and rises to the top of Mount Armatsin (3173 m).

In the south, the border goes along the northern edge of the Mesopotamian lowland, from where it passes through the line of the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. Then it crosses the Euphrates and connects to the Levant.

In the west, the border passes through the Marash basin, then up the Zahan river. From the north, it bypasses the Binbogha and Taurus mountain ranges, then through the Kızılırmak valley, it stretches to the Svaz basin. Then, crossing the pass, it enters the Yeşilırmak valley and stretches along the river to the Black Sea.

According to the observations of G.T. Shirinyan obtained by comparing the complex physical-geographical method and mathematical modeling methods, the area of the Armenian Highland is 512,000 square kilometers.

Article by Tigran Varag

The copyright of this article is owned by armgeo.am. The content of the article may be cited or used on other websites only with an active link to the source.

Armenian Highland

Mount Sis

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

Armenia on ancient maps

What and where is Anatolia?

Cartographic war

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

armeniangeographic — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 16:08:53 +0000

In the article “Armenia on ancient maps” we’ve already shown that this region has always been called Armenia, even when it was conquered by foreigners. Meanwhile, the term Armenia and its territory were not subjected to deep physical and geographical studies, and until the 18th century, many authors relied on information received from Strabo.

Armenia According to Strabo

According to Strabo, “The southern parts of Armenia have the Taurus situated in front of them, which separates it from the whole of the country between the Euphrates and the Tigris, the country called Mesopotamia; and the eastern parts border on Greater Armenia and Atropatenê; and on the north the mountains of Parachoathras that lie above the Caspian Sea, and Albania, and Iberia, and the Caucasus, which last encircles these nations and borders on Armenia, and borders also on the Moschian and Colchian mountains as far as the Tibarani, as they are called; and on the west are these nations and the mountains Paryadres and Scydises in their extent to Lesser Armenia and the river-land of the Euphrates, which latter separates Armenia from Cappadocia and Commagenê.”

Strabo

Encyclopedia Britannica

According to many authors, including the British Encyclopedia, “Armenia is a mountainous region that occupies about 400,000 square kilometers.” Of course, the area of the Armenian state of Cilicia is not taken into account here.

The difference between the terms Armenia and the Armenian Highland

Before we start to study the Armenian Highland, we must clearly distinguish the Armenian Highland and Armenia. Do not confuse the concepts of Armenia, Armenian Highland, Historical Armenia, the Armenian World. The territory of the Armenian Highland coincides with the territory of the Greater and Lesser Armenia, which is why these two concepts are often identified. But we need to clearly distinguish between the terms Armenia and Armenian Highland. Highland is a physical geographical concept that basically coincides with the territory of Historical Armenia. The term Armenia has a political meaning and shows a specific area where the Armenian state now exists. The name Armenia is used both in a broad and in a narrower sense. In one case, saying Armenia, we mean the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh. In another case, when we talk about Armenia, we mean the historical and geographical territory where the Armenian people arose, formed and developed. The latter is more often used to describe Historical Armenia.

Geographical Studies of Armenia

Since the 18th century, the geographical studies of Armenia began with even greater interest. At the beginning of the century in the San Lazzaro island in Italy, the Mekhitarist Order founded by Mkhitar Sebastatsi begins to publish the works of outstanding geographers.

In 1751, a map of Historical Armenia was published in Venice, according to the old and new cartographers and geographers. This map can be considered a replacement for the missing map in the “Geography” of Shirakatsi.

The map of Armenia according to old and new geographers

Personal collection of Rouben Galichian

Through the efforts of S. Agonts and Gh. Inchichyan a ten-volume work “The Geography of the Four Parts of the Earth” (1802-1806) was published, which actually laid the foundation for the scientific research of the Armenian Highland.

In 1822, Gh. Inchichyan’s work “Description of Ancient Armenia” was published in Venice. Based on rich documentary materials collected from Greco-Roman and Assyrian sources, the author shows the historical and geographical picture of the Greater Armenia: a geographical description of regions and provinces, an etymology of toponyms, information about ethnography, topographic explanations of geographical names. The three-volume “Geographical Antiquities of Armenia” (1835) is the first large-scale work after the “History of Armenia” by Chamchian, in which the author tells in detail about geography, administrative division, laws, science and art, ethnography of ancient Armenia and a number of other issues.

Description of Ancient Armenia, Gh. Inchichyan, 1822

Based on the works of Gh. Inchichyan, in 1857 in Venice the books by Manuel Kajuni “Geography of ancient and new Armenia” were published, in which there is a section about the mountains of Armenia.

Geography of ancient and new Armenia, Manuel Kajuni, 1857

In 1864 the work of Nerses Sargisean “Topography of Lesser and Greater Armenia” was published.

A classic of the geography of Armenia is Ghevont Alishan. In his work “Topography of Greater Armenia”, he described the provinces of Historical Armenia and gave them a scientific and geographical characteristic. Alishan was planning to write historical scientific works about all 15 regions of Historical Armenia which had to be placed in 20-22 volumes. The first work in the series was “Shirak” (1881). Although he had never been to Armenia, he was able to present in detail the history and geography of this area. The next works were “Sisouan” (1885), “Ayrarat” (1890), and “Sisakan” (1893)․ These are eternal masterpieces in the treasury of Armenian studies. In these works, Alishan in detail described the mountains, rivers, lakes, gorges, and settlements of the historical regions of Armenia.

From Ghevont Alishan’s book, Daroink Castle and the Big Masis

Starting from the 19th century, Russian and European researchers began to show an increasing interest in Armenia. In the second half of the 19th century, H. Lynch, F. Oswald, A. Ghukasov, and, of course, german geologist H. Abich played an important role in the scientific research of the Highland. Abich spent decades in the Armenian Highland and wrote many scientific works.

Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich

German geologist

Hermann Abich, December 11, 1806 – July 1, 1886

Full of biblical legends, Mount Masis has always attracted Christian pilgrims, travelers and natural scientists from around the world. The mountain attracted with its greatness and mysterious inaccessibility. The destructive earthquake in 1840 in Akori made the scientific world of European countries even more interested in Ararat. Many European geologists were interested in the geological processes taking place here, but the Russian Empire made the first steps in researching this region. On the advice of A. Humboldt, the engineers of the Russian Empire turned to H. Abich, who was already widely known in the scientific circles of Europe.

Akori, a cemetery in a historic village on the slope of Mount Masis

In 1844, with the permission of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I, Abich went to Eastern Armenia, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire. In Armenia, Abich meets the Armenian Catholicos Nerses Ashtaraketsi, who introduces him to Khachatur Abovyan. Abovyan was to become a translator for Abich and accompany him to Mount Ararat. The first few attempts were unsuccessful. The expeditionary team does not manage to climb to the top of the Greater Masis, but in the end, they achieve their goal and start their research.

Scientific activities of Abich

The scientific activities of Abich in the Armenian Highland were very productive and multifaceted, they affected all areas of geology and physical geography. It is impossible to briefly describe the achievements of the great scientist, which are one of the greatest achievements not only for the Armenian Highland but also for the geological science of the whole world.

He was one of the first scientists at the forefront of seismotectonics. His ideas about mountain building processes, earthquakes, volcanism were later studied and improved by his contemporaries and descendants.

In 1882 in Vienna, the fundamental work of the already world-famous H. Abich, “Geologie des Armenishen Hochlandes” about the general geology of the Armenian Highland, was published. Thanks to his work, the world scientific community first learned about this huge physical and geographical unit.

Although during the studies of Abich Armenia was not an independent country, the Armenians were the predominant ethnic element in the region, the culture was Armenian, the territory did not have clear borders, but it was called Armenia. H. Abich was the first to single out the highland as a separate physical and geographical unit, which is a “mountain island” surrounded by fragmented mountains. And it was logical that Abiсh should have called the highland “Armenian Highland”. Please note that the terms Armenian Highland and Armenia are different from each other. Currently, Armenia makes up about 10% of the Armenian Highland. The rest of it is located in Turkey, Georgia, Iran, and Azerbaijan.

The term Armenian Highland as an independent unit

Thanks to Abich, the term Armenian Highland entered the wide scientific community as an independent unit and was adopted by world-famous scientists, geographers, and travelers of the 19-20 centuries, such as E. Suess, H. Lynch, F. Oswald, A. Voeykov, F. Levinson-Lessing, A. Leister, A. Reinhardten and others. Today, this term is used in all encyclopedias and geographical directories of the world.

Manazkert and Sipan – H.Lynch

– To understand Asia, we need to get to know Armenia better

Henry Finnis Blosse Lynch

(April 18, 1862 – November 24, 1913)

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

Henry Lynch

Famous geographer, traveler, public and political figure, member of the Royal Geographical Society, member of the British Parliament from 1906 to 1910.

Lynch visited Armenia twice, from August 1893 to March 1894 and from May to September 1898. Based on the materials collected during his travels, he wrote a work that gained wide popularity – “Armenia: Traveling and Research” (1901). It consisted of two volumes: “Russian Armenia” and “Turkish Armenia”. This work contains valuable information about the history, geography, demography, and folklore of Armenia.

The big map of Armenia, which he created together with geologist and cartologist F. Oswald, has a great value.

Of many maps of Armenian Highland Lynch’s map is remarkable.

Lynch’s map, 1910, Tbilisi / Armenian Highland

Felix Oswald

An English geologist, diplomat, Honorary Professor of the University of Nottingham Felix Oswald also took part in the Armenian scientific expedition of Lynch, in 1898. He studied the geological structure of the Armenian Highland in the section of Trabzon-Erzurum-Van. He published a geological schematic map of the Highland (1907). The results of the research of the Armenian Highland were first presented in the monumental work of Oswald – “A Treatise on the Geology of Armenia” (1906). Oswald’s detailed comments on the volcanic mountain ranges of Sipan and Nemrut are especially valuable.

Oswald later published the work “On the History of the Tectonic Development of the Armenian Highland” in German (1910). In 1912, his monograph “Armenia” was published in English in a series of “Regional Geological Reference Books”.

Felix Oswald

In the 20th century, more and more historians and geographers began to write about the Armenian Highland. Among them: Leo, Dolens, A. Khach, A. Ghanalanyan, S. Yeremyan, T. Hakobyan, S. Melik-Bakhshyan, S. Balyan, L. Zohrabyan, A. Baghdasaryan, A. Voskanyan, H. Gabrielyan, Kh. Nazaryan, G. Shirinyan, and others.

Article by Tigran Varag

The copyright of this article is owned by armgeo.am. The content of the article may be cited or used on other websites only with an active link to the source.

Armenian Highland

Mount Sis

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

Armenia on ancient maps

What and where is Anatolia?

Cartographic war

Armenia on ancient maps

armeniangeographic — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 17:15:55 +0000

Armenia is found in the world’s oldest maps and history books. Sometimes as an independent state, and sometimes divided between neighboring empires, but nevertheless the name Hayastan-Armenia has always been mentioned since ancient Greek and Roman maps to this day. In this article we will look at some of the ancient maps, to give our readers an idea of the position that Armenia occupied on the ancient maps of the world.

For those interested in more detail, I recommend reading Rouben Galichian’s work “Armenia in World Cartography”, 2005, or a brief version of it called Historic Maps of Armenia, 2018.

1. Babylonian clay tablet, 6th century BC

The oldest extant map of the world is depicted on a clay tablet. It is the Babylonian map found in Iraq, in 19 century. Now it is stored in the British Museum.

This Babylonian map of the World dates back to 6 century BC. In ancient Assyrian and Babylonian sources the kingdom of Ararat is referred to as Urartu. This name is mentioned on the world’s oldest map. Of the countries mentioned in this map, only Armenia still exists. All the other ones have disappeared from the world map.

According to cartographer Rouben Galichian, the map shows the world in the form of a circle, surrounded by “bitter” waters, in which there are 7 islands. In the center of the map is Babylon, next to it Armenia and Assyria are depicted. Another 7 cities are depicted in a form of small circles. From the mountains of Armenia, the Euphrates River flows through Babylon and Marshes, and reaches the Persian Gulf.

On the back of the tile there is a text that describes seven islands in the sea and unusual creatures living there. The islands are depicted in a form of triangles, most of which are damaged and illegible.

Armenia on ancient maps – Babylonian clay tablet, 6th century BC

British Museum, London

2. Herodotus, 5th century BC

The world according to Herodotus. Edited by Charles Muller, published in the Smith’s atlas. Armenia has a central position among the countries that existed at that time.

Armenia on ancient maps – Herodotus, 5th century BC

Smith’s atlas, British Museum, London, 1874

3. Eratosthenes, 3-2 century BC

Reconstructed map of Eratosthenes by German cartographer von Spruner (1855).

Armenia on ancient maps – Eratosthenes, 3-2 century BC

Rouben Galichian’s personal collection, now in Matenadaran

4. Strabo, 1st century BC

Based on Strabo’s work, the British cartographer John Murray reconstructed the world map, one of the chapters of which is dedicated to the geography of Armenia.

Armenia on ancient maps – Strabo, 1st century BC

Edited by Charles Muller.

5. Claudius Ptolemy, 2nd century

Famous Greek geographer and cosmologist Claudius Ptolemy was the most prominent cartographer in the ancient world. His most important work is the eight-volume Geography. The text about Armenia in this work is in the fifth volume.

This is a map of the world, surrounded by winds and divided into climate zones. Besides the Red Sea, all the seas are blue and the mountain are green. The Greater Armenia and The Lesser Armenia are located between the Black and Caspian Seas.

Armenia on ancient maps – Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century)

The map was designed by Martin Waldseemüller and issued by Schott in 1513.

British Museum, London

6. Claudius Ptolemy, 2nd century

The center of the map in white is the Greater Armenia (Armenia Maior), which borders with Media in the east, with Assyria in the south, Lesser Armenia in the west (Armenia Minor), and Colchis (Abkhazia), Iberia (Virk), Albania in the north.

Armenia on ancient maps – Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century)

Reissued by Nicolaus Germanus, 1482

British Museum, London

7. Countries occupied by Alexander the Great

This map is one of the pages of the Atlas published in Latin in Amsterdam. It represents Alexander the Great’s invasion of India. The map shows the Greater Armenia.

Countries occupied by Alexander the Great

Abraham Ortelius, 1595

British Library, London

8. Map of the Holy Land or the “Earthly Paradise”

The map covers the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf, and the prominent Eden, located near the city of Babel (Babylon). The beautifully decorated title is surrounded by pictures of scenes of Eden on both sides. The map itself is stunningly created, with the combination of real and biblical geography. Here you will find the Land of Nod, the Garden of Eden, the Tower of Babel, and other semi-mythical places. The map was drawn by Visscher as a part of a five-part series of maps to be included in Abraham Van den Brock’s Bible written in 1657. This is the first edition of this important series of maps that formed the basis of many other Bible maps that appeared in the 18th century.

Armenia on ancient maps – Map of the Holy Land or the “Earthly Paradise”

Nicolaes Visscher, 1657

9. Map of the Terrestrial Paradise

This map was drawn by English cartographer Emanuel Bowen. It is also based on religious beliefs. The Terrestrial Paradise, Eden, is shown on the territory of Armenia, between the lakes Van and Kaputan. The map lists four rivers flowing from the Bible Paradise: Aras (Gihon), Pishon, Euphrates and Tigris. At the center of the map is Mount Ararat.

Armenia on ancient maps – Map of the Terrestrial Paradise

Emanuel Bowen, 1780

Rouben Galichian’s personal collection, now in Matenadaran

10. The map of Armenia according to old and new geographers

This map of Armenia was published in Venice in the 18th century. Many cartographers and geographers consider this map to be a replacement for the missing map of Shirakatsi’s “Geography” (“Ashkharhatsuyts”).

The map of Armenia according to old and new geographers

Venice , 1751

Rouben Galichian’s personal collection

Article by Tigran Varag

Special thanks to cartographer Rouben Galichian for providing the maps

The copyright of this article is owned by armgeo.am. The content of the article may be cited or used on other websites only with an active link to the source.

Armenian Highland

Mount Sis

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

Armenia on ancient maps

What and where is Anatolia?

Cartographic war

What and where is Anatolia?

armeniangeographic — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 07:54:59 +0000

The name “Anatolia” has an interesting history. When the Roman Empire was divided into its Eastern and Western (Holy) parts, the eastern region was named Byzantium, which covered the region between the continents of Europe and Asia. The Asiatic territories included the peninsula known as Asia Minor, which is a landmass surrounded on three sides by the Black Sea in the north, Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara in the west and the Mediterranean Sea in the south, as seen in image 6.1 below.

The capital of Byzantium since 330 CE was named Constantinople, in honour of the Roman Emperor Constantine who founded it on the western shores of the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus Straits. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire the name of the city was changed to Istanbul. According to one theory, which seems to be the most logical and acceptable, the name was based on the Greek term “is tin boli” (to the city) being the corrupted version of the Greek term. The territory of the empire situated on the east of the capital was named Anatolia, which in Greek means “east”. Therefore, in the early and medieval times the easternmost regions of Byzantium were named Anatolia, implying to the easternmost territories of the empire. The map of image 6.1 shows the extent of Asia Minor, or Anatolia.

6.1 – The map of Asia Minor, or Anatolia, and its geographic borders. British map, 19th c.

Until the late nineteenth century, on all maps produced in the Ottoman Empire the name Anatolia was used to indicate part of the empire which was situated in the peninsula of Asia Minor. The approximate borders of Anatolia extend from the city of Alexandretta, today’s city of Iskenderun, and from there extending north-eastward through the towns of Kahraman-Marash, Malatia, Erzinjan and Baiburt to the Black Sea coast cities of Hopa and Batumi. The remaining territory of present-day Turkey is not Anatolia, but most of it was better known as the “Armenian Highlands”, where historic Greater Armenia was located. In its central section this border runs along the River Euphrates.

Thus, prior to these changes around 1920s, the name of Anatolia or Asia Minor referred to the territory to the west of the Armenian Highlands or Armenian Plateau, which consists of around 60 per cent of the territory of the Republic of Turkey.

6.2 – General topography of the region of Turkey, with its divisions.

The map of image 6.2 shows the topography of the region, where Anatolia refers to “Asia Minor”, and the territory to its east is named the “Armenian Highlands” or “Armenian Plateau”.

Looking at the maps of the Ottoman Empire, it is clear that until its fall in 1923 on all maps produced by its printing houses the toponym “Anatolia” was used to denote the peninsula of Asia Minor and did not relate to any territory located in the eastern part. This can be seen on the maps of images 6.3 and 6.4.

6.3 – Ottoman map by Mahmud Raif, entitled Asian Part of the Ottoman Empire. Here Anatolia clearly refers to peninsula of Asia Minor. The map is from an atlas printed in Üsküdar in 1803-4.

In this Ottoman map the peninsula of Asia Minor, i.e. the western part of the empire, is named the Land of Anatolia, which is located east of the capital Constantinople/Istanbul, extending to the virtual border mentioned above and shown on image 6.2, while the region east of the line has no geographical name and includes the Armenian Highlands and the country of Armenia. Armenia’s neighbours are Georgia to the north, the Persian province of Azerbaijan to the east and Kurdistan, Mesopotamia and Aljazeera to its south.

The atlas which contains the above map has another of the whole of the Ottoman Empire, where the same toponym layout is evident.

6.4 – The Map of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, printed by the Ministry of War of the Ottoman Empire. Here the whole of the territory is named as the Ottoman Empire and Anatolia is shown at the western end of Asiatic part of the empire, corresponding to the region of Asia Minor. The Armenian majority-populated region at the eastern end is entitled Armenia and its south-eastern part is entitled Kurdistan. To the west of these lies the Iranian province of Azerbaijan.

As Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey claimed, since the nation was populated by Turks only and was a mono-ethnic country, the name “Armenian” therefore had no place inside its territory. Accordingly, in order to eliminate the names “Armenia” and “Armenian” from the territory of Turkey the best solution was to rename the whole of the territory of the post-World War I Republic of Turkey, extending from Greece and the Balkans to the Persian border, should be given another geographical name, which was non-Armenian. The best possible solution was to extend the already existing region of Anatolia (Asia Minor) to cover the whole of the country. Thus, in spite of the fact that Anatolia was the name used by the ancients and their forefathers solely for the peninsula of Asia Minor, the newly born Republic of Turkey from its inception onwards decided to rename the whole territory of the country “Anadolu”, or “Anatolia” in European languages.

Many misinformed historians have fallen into the trap of this misnomer and, when referring to Historic or Greater Armenia located on the Armenian Highlands, they claim that its geographic location is in East Anatolia, where the term Anatolia is used referring the newly expanded definition. In truth, Historic Armenia was located in the region east of Anatolia and not in East Anatolia. Thus, the name of the Armenian Highlands or Plateau has now disappeared from the maps depicting the Republic of Turkey while the whole of this territory has been renamed Anatolia/Anadolu. Under this renaming, the location of Greater Armenia falls within the eastern part of Anatolia, conveniently eliminating the need to use the above-mentioned “undesirable” name.

During the 1840s and 1850s, Heinrich Kiepert, the German cartographer who spent much time in the Middle East, Asia Minor and the Caucasus, produced a number of maps dedicated to the Ottoman Empire. His maps are variously entitled “Turkish Empire”, “Asiatic Turkey”, “Turkey in Asia” but on none of these maps is the eastern part of Turkey named Anatolia. Many of Kiepert’s maps have been translated into Ottoman Turkish, written in Persian script, and in some the titles have been intentionally revised to read “Map of Anatolia”, changing the word “Turkey” to “Anatolia”.

6.5 – Part of Kiepert’s map The Turkish Empire, dated 1844, in the original German version.
Here Armenia is underlined blue, while Anatolia or Anadolu is underlined red.

In Kiepert’s map above, the naming of the regions of Turkey are clearly marked. The region named “Anadolia”, underlined in red, is the name given to the part of Turkey located in Asia Minor, while western Turkey is clearly indicated as “Armenia”, underlined in blue, clearly distinguishing the two regions bearing these different toponyms.

In the 1920s the term Anatolia began to appear on all maps produced in Turkey and the previous toponyms of Armenia and Kurdistan were gradually removed from all Turkish maps. In Turkey after the changing of the Persian alphabet to Latin, these changes were implemented as a matter of course, thus eliminating the controversial and unwelcoming problematic names of the Armenians, Armenia, the Kurds as well as the name “Armenian Highlands” from all new maps printed in the Republic of Turkey. Once again the presence of the Armenians was completely removed from maps of the lands of their historic homeland. By using the tools of political forward planning and changes in alphabet, transliteration of all historical material was needed, during the course of which historic texts were adopted to concur with the prevailing political rhetoric and propaganda.

It should be noted that by their nature, geographical features are fixed and not subject to change, and one would think that any name given to them would be relatively permanent. Any change in their naming usually has political, ideological and strategic purposes. These changes usually affect the names of towns, villages and on rare occasions are applied to small geographical features such as islands, rivers, mountains and lakes.

For example, the region of Siberia, although having undesirable associations, has remained the same during tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the present-day Russian Federation. Korea, which was split into two ideologically opposing countries, bears the same name as before its division. However, in the case of Turkey the situation was somewhat different. The country consisted of two geographical regions, Asia Minor and the Armenian Highlands. The latter had no place in Ataturk’s republic and something had to be done to erase it from the maps. The Greek name “Anatolia”, according to all the accounts mentioned, until the 1920s referred only to the peninsula of Asia Minor. This was changed unannounced by the Republic of Turkey, and the name of Anatolia began to appear referring to the region of Asia Minor as well as the rest of the country located to its east, the Armenian Highlands. As mentioned above, this renaming was done purely to remove any reference to Armenia or Armenians from the territories found inside the present-day Turkey.

The elimination of any name related to Armenia became an obsession in Turkey, gradually leading to the changes of the Latin genus names of plants and animals. In 2005 Turkey started renaming all the flora and fauna which in their Latin binomials include the name “Armenia”. An official of Turkey’s Ministry of the Environment was quoted as saying that many old names were contrary to Turkish unity. A ministry statement quoted by Reuters news agency said: “Unfortunately there are many other species in Turkey which were named this way with ill intentions. This ill intent is so obvious that even species only found in our country were given names implying that Turkey is not an ethnic Turkic country.”

Some Turkish officials say the existing names are being used to argue and prove that that Armenians or Kurds had lived in the areas of Turkey. The truth is that these species were discovered in regions where at the time of discovery were populated by the Armenians and the Kurds, and thus were given names related to the peoples living in the relevant geographic areas. Examples of these name changes are as follows:

Wild sheep called Ovis armeniana would become Ovis orientalis anatolicus.
Roe deer known as Capreolus capreolus armenus would become Capreolus cuprelus capreolus.
The red fox known as Vulpes vulpes kurdistanica would become Vulpes vulpes.

as well as other similar naming of animals and plants.

The eradication of any name related to Armenia has created so much euphoria based on phobia that in order to serve their political aims and plans, not only the regional and place names but the names of animals and plants are also affected and duly altered to more acceptable ones.

The article is from Rouben Galichian’s book “ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND TURKEY. Addressing Paradoxes of Culture, Geography and History”.

The copyright of this article and all maps are owned by its author.

Special thanks to cartographer Rouben Galichian for providing these materials to armgeo.am.

Armenian Highland

Mount Sis

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

Armenia on ancient maps

What and where is Anatolia?

Cartographic war

Inter-mountainous concavities

Top 5 highest summits of Armenian Highland

Lakes of Armenian Highland

Cartographic war

armeniangeographic — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 11:28:18 +0000

Each of the researchers considered the “Armenian Highland” with different approaches. The result is a region that includes different areas. It should be noted that many toponyms in the Highland were used incorrectly. In the 19th century, the eastern part of Armenia came under the rule of the Russian Empire, and intensive cartographic work began. Most of the topographical names were mentioned under foreign names, without taking into account the Armenian historical toponyms.

Geographical names

Geographical names are one of the most important heritage for the indigenous people living in this territory. That is why the empires that invaded Armenia at different times tried to change and eradicate the Armenian toponyms that came from the depths of millennia, and with which the Armenian people are so connected. Describing historical events, Armenian historians noted the names of countries, administrative units, settlements, but the physical and geographical names sometimes remained outside the pages of history and over time they were forgotten and remained nameless, and later acquired foreign names. Today, the cartographic war has been declared to the term “Armenian Highland”, which is not a political, but a geographical term that refers to a physical and geographical territory.

In the course of history, on the political map, the Republic of Armenia got only the small northeastern part of the vast Highland. But Armenia’s neighbors still avoid the term “Armenian Highland”.

Common mistakes

I think it is necessary to talk about several common mistakes that have a political origin and are mistakenly used as a geographical term. These are the name Eastern Anatolia, given to the highland, and the names South Caucasus, Transcaucasia, or Lesser Caucasus, given to its northeastern part. The latter is used as a geographical name for the northeastern mountain ranges of the Highland.

Armenian Highland is not a part of Anatolia. The term “Eastern Anatolia” has appeared to replace the term “Western Armenia”, which is not scientific. This is a political term, which is an attempt to eradicate the geographical term “Armenian Highlands” from today’s Turkey.

Armenian Highland, not Eastern Anatolia

In professional literature, the name Anatolia is used in a broader sense only in connection with Asia Minor. Anatolia is translated from Greek as East. Since Asia Minor is located west of the Armenian Highland, the name of Anatolia (with any part of it, western, central or eastern), both in the scientific and in the broader sense, cannot be used outside of Asia Minor. Therefore, it can not be used to describe the eastern or any other part of the Armenian Highland.

Anatolia and Armenian Highland

Armenia is not the Caucasus

The next common mistake is the term Transcaucasia or the South Caucasus, which is mainly applied to the north-eastern part of the Armenian Highland and has a political nature. From the physical and geographical point of view, the Caucasus is only the Caucasus Mountains with their slopes. Armenia is not the Caucasus. By mistakenly including Armenia in the Caucasus, Armenians are also considered Caucasians. But Armenian Highland has its own separate geographical position and culture. Therefore, Armenians cannot be Caucasians. Armenians come from the Armenian Highlands and are part of the Indo-European cultural world.

Caucasus and Armenian Highland

Lesser Caucasus is a coined term

Another coined term appeared on the maps of the Russian Empire and is mistakenly used to this day. This is a classification of the north-eastern mountain ranges of the Armenian Highland in the Small Caucasus mountain system. The term “Small Caucasus” was coined to mark the mountain ranges located south of the Caucasus in the maps of the Russian Empire.

Article by Tigran Varag

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Armenian Highland

Mount Sis

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

Armenia on ancient maps

What and where is Anatolia?

Cartographic war

Inter-mountainous concavities

armeniangeographic — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 12:07:58 +0000

In Armenian Highland there are northern and southern districts of inter-mountainous concavities. The northern district includes the valleys of Araxes and the Western Euphrates, and the southern one consists of the plains of the Aratsani Valley.

Araxes Basin

The Tvratsatap plain spreads over the upper stream of Araxes. The plain is covered by lush tropical vegetation. To the north of it, at an altitude of 1900-2000 meters stretches the plain of Basen which is divided into two parts – Upper Basen and Lower Basen. Tօ the north of Basen, the river Araxes flows into the ravine of Kaghzvan, passes through a 700 meters deep valley and disembogues into the Ararat Plain. The latter is situated at an altitude of 800-1000 meters and consists of Armavir, Artashat and Yeraskhavan plains. The lowland of Nakhijevan is the continuation of the Ararat Plain and is situated at an altitude of 600-800 meters above sea level. In the lower stream of Araxes, the plains of Mughan and Mill extend. The latter are part of the Kura-Araks lowland.

Araxes Plain on the borderline of Armenian and Iran

Euphrates Basin

The plain of Karno extends over the upper valley of Western Euphrates and is situated at an altitude of 200 meters above sea level. The plain is completely covered by marshes. The waters of Western Euphrates are muddied in this part, and the river is referred to as Karasu. From the Karno plain to the lower stream of the river broadens the plain of Ashkala which has a width of 7 kilometers. The latter is separated from the plain of Derjan by the mountain belt of Mariam. The plain of Derjan is enclosed by Mariam, Lusavorich and Kopa mountains. The lower part of the plain gradually narrows and extends towards the plain of Erznka. The ground is extremely fragmented and is considered to be the area with the highest risk of seismic activity. The Erznka Plain is followed by the plateau of Kamakh. This is the only inter-mountainous concavity covered by lava. On the western side of Kamakh Euphrates crosses the mountain system of Mndzur and disembogues through the gorge of Akn into the plain of Kharberd.

Aratsani Basin

In the upper stream of Aratsani at an altitude of about 2300 meters broadens the plain of Daroynk. Here the tributaries of Aratsani conjoin and form the river, which flows towards the plain of Alashkert. Aratsani basin is covered in volcanic rocks from the Tsaghkants mountains, a larger surface area than on Daroynk. To the south of Alashkert, the river flows into the plain of Manazkert which is situated near the Bznunyats Plateau and is more extensive than other lowlands. Here Aratsani meets one of its largest tributaries, Khnus. The latter’s valley is situated on the plain of Khnus. To the south-west of the Manazkert Plain, the valley gradually narrows. The Msho Plain is relatively wide and is the place where Aratsani intersects with the Nela River. To the east of the Msho Plain, the plains of Chapaghjur, Genji and Balahovit extend, and the river flows into the plain of Kharberd which is situated at an altitude of 800-1000 meters. Here the Western Euphrates and the Eastern Euphrates intermingle.

The copyright of this article is owned by armgeo.am. The content of the article may be cited or used on other websites only with an active link to the source.

Armenian Highland

Mount Sis

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

Armenia on ancient maps

What and where is Anatolia?

Cartographic war

Inter-mountainous concavities

Top 5 highest summits of Armenian Highland

Lakes of Armenian Highland

Active Volcanoes of Armenian Highland

Mount Toghasar

Arnos Mountain

Odzasar (Vishapasar)

Mount Grgur

Mount Surb Luys

Mount Tsrasar

Mount Bardogh

Mount Tsovasar

Mount Sukavet

Mount Pashat

Mount Tovmasar

Mountain Artos

Mount Maratuk

Mount Varag

Winter ascent of Mets Kirs

Winter ascent of Dizapayt

Mount Kusanats

Climbing mountain Mets Kirs

Mount Dizapayt

Kachaghakaberd

Top 5 highest summits of Armenian Highland

armeniangeographic — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 14:40:03 +0000

Armenian Highland is a mountainous island, where the highest mountainous systems of that region rise. The mountain-forming processes still continue to develop in Armenian Highland. The proof of that are active volcanoes Nemrut (Sarakn) and Tondrak.

In our article we have listed 5 highest summits of Armenian Highland.

5. Mountain Sipan (4058 m)

Mountain Sipan

Mountain Sipan is located in the northern shore of lake Van. The shape of the mountain is very similar to mount Ararat. It consists of andesitic and other acid lavas. There are extrusive cones on the top of the mountain. The slopes are covered with meadows.

The thorough researches of english geologist Felix Osvaldi about volcanic massifs Nemrut and Sipan were very valuable.

In Literature we can often see the height of Sipan mentiones as 4434m, which is wrong. The correct height of the mountain is 4058m.

4. Mountain Aragats (4090 m)

Aragats is the fourth highest mountain in Armenian Highland and the highest one in Armenia. It has 4 peaks, the highest of which is the Northern summit, with the height of 4090m. The other three summits are: Western (3995,3m), Eastern (3908,2m) and the Southern (3887,8m).

Mountain Aragats

According to Armenian tradition Aragats originates from words Ara+gah, which translates into “Ara’s throne”. Numerous engravings have been found around the volcano, including rock paintings portraying animals and humanlike figures and huge vishaps.

After climbing mount Aragats you will notice that between the rocky peaks of Aragats a huge crater is situated, with the depth of 350m and width of 3 km. Observations showed the presence of firm fields and snow fields on the sides of the crated cirque, as well as moraines and glaciers inside the crater. The top part has strictly fragmented slpine-type relief.

From the volcanic stones of Aragats a lot of cold creeks flow. Between the glacial debris and moraine dams a lot of picturesque lakes were formed: Kari, Amberd, Umroy, Lesing and etc..

3. Mountain Jilo (4135 m)

Mountain Jilo

Mountain Jilo is the highest peak of Kordvats mountains, which is the continuation of Armenian (Eastern) Tavros mountain range. From the slopes of the mountain till the top the climate changes from dry subtropical to alpine. On the top glacial remnants have been preserved.

2. Mountain Sabalan (4811 m)

Sabalan

Sabalan is the second highest mountain in Armenian Highland. It consists of basalts, basaltic andesites and acid lavas. It is an extrusive volcanic cone. The summit is covered with eternal snow. You can also meet glaciers there.

1. Mountain Masis (Ararat / 5165 m)

Mountain Masis

Masis is a holy mountain for Armenian people. There are a lot of legends and sayings dedicated to it. The legend has it that after the global flood Noah’s ark came to rest on the mountain Ararat. Being a volcanic mountain, Ararat is covered with rocks and is almost devoided of vegetation. There are no springs on the mountain except Sardar spring. On a clear day one can see a huge precipice stretching from the slopes to the top of the mountain. This precipice is known as “Vih Massyats”. The relative altitude of Masis is 4300 m from Ararat valley.

Our team on the top of mountain Ararat

The biblical mountain has aroused an interest in scientific world and even long ago there were a lot of attempts to reach it’s summit. The first men who reached the top of mount Masis were professor Friedrich Parrot from Dorpat university and young Khachatur Abovyan in 1829.

Thus the highest summit of Armenian Highland is mountain Masis – 5165m, the secnd one is Sabalan – 4811 m, the third is Jilo – 4168 m in Kordvats mountains, the forth is Aragats – 4090 m and finally the last one is Sipan – 4058 m.

The copyright of this article is owned by armgeo.am. The content of the article may be cited or used on other websites only with an active link to the source.

Armenian Highland

Mount Sis

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

Armenia on ancient maps

Lakes of Armenian Highland

armeniangeographic — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 15:35:53 +0000

Armenian highland is rich in lakes of various origins. In the past, the lakes of Armenian highland were called “seas”. Structural basins of the three large lakes of the Highland (Sevan, Van, Urmia) have tectonic origin, there are lava dammed lakes. Sevan and Van are lava dammed lakes as well. There are also glacial lakes situated in former glacial cirques or moraines. Also, dammed lakes were formed from landslides and collapses. There are also residual lakes, separated from the rivers on the plains.

Van lake

One of the features of Armenian highland is lakes formed in volcanic craters. In Middle East such lakes can only be found in Armenian highland. Crater or volcanic lakes are those lakes that were formed as a result of filling the crater and caldera with water. Since crater usually has round shape and high walls, very few rivers flow into crater lake, and there is almost no stream. Usually crater fills with rainwater and reaches equilibrium thanks to leakage of water and evaporation.

In this article you will find only the lakes of Armenian highland that are located outside of Armenia. We have a separate article about Lakes of Armenia.

We will begin the description of the lakes of Armenian highland with the highest lake, and in the end we will talk about the largest crater lake of Armenian highland.

Sabalan

Volcano Sabalan is the second highest peak of Armenian Highland. And the lake formed in the crater of the mountain is the highest lake of the Highland. It is located at an altitude of 4784 m above sea level.

Crater lake Sabalan

Urmia (Kaputan)

Urmia is an endorheic lake. During the year there are big fluctuations of water level. And since the lake is very small, the coastline moves back and forth, constantly changing the parameters of the lake. The basin of the lake has tectonic origin. There is an assumption that the lake was open before and flowed into the Caspian Sea, through the Amardos River. Connection was broken by the eruption of Sokhund volcano. It is believed that Kaputan was also connected to the Araks River.

Lakes of Armenian Highland – Lake Urmia

Urmia feeds on sediments directly on surface of the lake, on rivers and partially underground waters. The water in the lake is very salty. Because of this, the fauna in the lake is almost absent, there is only some seaweed.

Of the three largest lakes of Armenian highland, Urmia was the largest until the end of 20^th century. Due to the merciless use of water, flowing into the lake, the area of Urmia decreased significantly, the salinity of water increased. That’s how Lake Van became the largest lake of Armenian highland.

In the photo you can see the difference between the surfaces of Van and Urmia.

Armenian Highland

Many lakes of Armenian highland are lava dammed lakes. In the recent past there were more of them. In Ararat valley, Shirak, Upper Akhuryan, Sisian and other basins in the past there were lakes. Dammed lakes are Tsovak Hyusiso, Arpi, Madatapa, Khozapin, Saghamo, Parvana, Tabatsghur, etc.

Tsovak Hyusiso

Tsovak Hyusiso is the largest and deepest lava dammed lake of Armenian highland. It is located in the north of the Highland. Area is 84 km². The lake is located at an altitude of 1959 m above sea level. Maximum depth is 42 meters.

Lakes of Armenian Highland – Tsovak HyusisoThe lake is located inside the tectonic basin. In the past it used to be a deep valley, closed by a lava dam. The water is fresh. In winter Tsovak Hyusiso freezes.

Frozen Tsovak Hyusiso Lake

In winter horseback tours are held on a frozen Tsovak Hyusiso lake, and everyone can participate in this interesting tour.

Parvana

The Javakhk plateau is rich in large and small lakes. All of them are scattered throughout the territory and generally don’t have a catchment basin. The largest one is Lake Parvana – area is 37.5 km², maximum height – 3.3 m. The lake is situated at an altitude of 2079 m above sea level.

Lakes of Armenian Highland – Lake Parvana

The ballad “Parvana” by Hovhannes Tumanyan is dedicated to Parvana Lake.

Tabatsghur

Endorheic lake Tabatsghur is located in the north of Javakhk plateau, at the southwestern foot of the Trialeti ridge, at an altitude of 1991 m. It has a volcanic origin. Length is 6.5 km, maximum width – 4 km. The area is 14.2 km², depth – up to 40 m. The lake is mainly fed by underwater, surface fluctuations are up to 1.1 m. The lake has large recreational resources.

Armenian village and Lake Tabatsghur / Photo by Sasun Danielyan

Madatapa

Lake Madatapa is located in the southeastern part of Javakhk plateau, at an altitude of 2112 m above sea level. The area is 8.78 km²; the volume of water is 9.66 million cubic meters, average depth – 1.5 m, maximum depth – 1.7 m. The territory is covered with alpine and subalpine vegetation. Coastline is low and is covered with aquatic vegetation. The lake is fed by groundwater, rainwater and meltwater, and the rivers formed from them originate from Javakhk Mountains. In spring, water level rises and in winter, it drops. Because of rivers and groundwater which originate from the lake and flow outward, water level in the lake changes very quickly.

Lake Madatapa

Khozapin (Kartsakhi)

Lake Khozapin is also called Kartsakhi. It is located south-east of Kartsakhi village. The length is about 11 km, width – up to 5 km, height – 1801 m. The lake is fed by precipitation and surface water. In the south there are low-lying, flat, rocky islands. There are no fishes. One of the birds nesting around the lake is Armenian gull.

Lake Khozapin (Kartsakhi)

Khanchali

Lake Khanchali is located in the north of the Javakhk plateau. The length is 7.5 km; width is about 3 km, height – 1931 m, depth – 0.8 m. The lake is fed by meltwater. Surroundings of the lake are swampy; the water is muddy, with a slight greenish tint, not suitable for drinking. On the coastline of Lake Khanchali is the city of Ninotsminda, villages Big Khanchali and Small Khanchali.

Lake Khanchali and Mount Abul

Daran

Lake Daran is located on the western slope of Mount Samsar, 7.3 km from the peak. The height above sea level is 2082 m.

Daran Lake and Mount Samsari / Photo by Sasun Danielyan

Saghamo

Lake Saghamo is located in the basin of Parvana River, south of the Parvana pond, at an altitude of 1996 m above sea level. The area is 4.8 km², average depth – 1.6 m, maximum depth – 2.3 m. The lake has tectonic origin. It is fed by groundwater, rainwater and meltwater. The lake has a shape of table. Water is fresh, rich in fish. The lake is named after the Saghamo village, which is located on its northeastern shore. In winter, the lake freezes.

Frozen Lake Saghamo / www.georgianjournal.ge

Gaylatu

Lake Gaylatu is located in inter-mountain concavity of Haykakan Par mountain range, at an altitude of 2247 m above sea level. Water is fresh; the lake is rich in fish, especially trout.

Gaylatu is the highest of the large lakes of Armenian highland. Gaylatu (Gaylato tsovik, Lake Gaylatva, Dzknaber tsovak) is now called Balyk gyol (Turkish – Fish Lake).

Gaylatu lake

Nazik

Nazik is a closed lake. It is located in the basin of Lake Van. The height is 1815 m above sea level. The lake arose as a result of lava loading of Sipan and Nemrut mountains. It is located on a high tectonic basin, surrounded by volcanic massifs. Length is about 11 km, width – 6.5 km, area – 40 km², catchment area – 800 km². The lake is fed by rainwater and meltwater. Water is fresh, clear, and suitable for drinking.

Lake Nazik

Khachi Lake or Khachlva Sea

Khachi Lake is also located in the basin of Lake Van, 10 km north of Lake Nazik. It is situated at an altitude of 1580 m above sea level. Maximum depth is 7 m. Water level almost doesn’t fluctuate throughout the year. In winter, the lake freezes.

Khachi Lake or Khachlva Sea

Arin

Lake Arin is located on a slope of Mount Sipan, 1 km from the coastline of Van Lake. The height is 1654 m above sea level. The lake is closed. There is no fauna in the lake.

Lake Arin / Photo was taken during the ascent to Mount Sipan

Archak

Archak is a small salty lake. It is located in the basin of Lake Van, north-east of the city of Van. The lake is located on a structural erosion plateau.

Maximum depth of the lake is 30 m, height – 1803 m above sea level. The area is 100 km². It is a closed lake, which opens up to the east in the form of a horseshoe. Due to the salinity of the water, the lake doesn’t have any flora or fauna.

Flamingos on Lake Archak

Lake Archak has a tectonic origin, was formed in the Neogene period. The lake is surrounded by spurs of Mount Kotur.

The eastern and northeastern shores of the lake are flat, and the western shore is hilly. The rivers Archishak, Kharakonis and Khnoi flow into the lake. In winter, the lake freezes.

Lake Archak

There are many myths about Lake Archak. Locals believed that a fiery man, a fiery woman and a fiery horse lived in the lake. Near the Archak village there was a water source. It is said that once a year a fiery woman was bathing in these sources. Sometimes a fiery horse would come out of the lake and trample all snake nests. People believed that if it were not for a fiery horse, the whole world would be full of snakes. A fiery man would leave the lake once in a thousand years, to leave a fiery progeny to the world together with a fiery woman.

Tsovk (Kharberd Sea)

Lake Tsovk is located in the western part of the Armenian Taurus mountain range. It is situated between two high mountain ranges, extending in parallel from north and south. The lake was formed as a result of a collapse. It is located at an altitude of 1240 m above sea level. The area is 78 km². The Tigris River originates from here. Mountain slopes surrounding the lake are covered with dense forests. The area has pristine beauty and a healthy climate.

Lake Tsovk (Kharberd Sea)

Alkharak

Lake Alkharak is located on the slope of the mountain of the same name. It was formed as a result of a strong earthquake that occurred in 1139. The earthquake destroyed Mount Alkharak and covered a river gorge. Alkharak and its surroundings are a recreation area. It’s believed that local air heals airways and nervous system.

Lake and Mount Alharak

Terter

This lake is located 7 km east of mountain peak Varag. The lake is also called Keshish, Varag, Turna.

Lake Terter from Mount Varag

Tsovalich

In the East Pontic Mountains there are many big and small lakes, one of which is Tsovalich.

Tsovalich is located on the southern slope of Mount Qajkar, at an altitude of 3380 m above sea level.

Tsovalich from the top of Mount Qajkar

Tortum

The Tortum River is a left tributary of the Olti River. It originates from the eastern slopes of the Kopa mountain range. The length of the river is about 112 km. It flows from south-west to north-east, receives many tributaries, crosses a deep gorge and then Lake Tortum. As a result of collapse in the Tortum Valley, the river was blocked, and Lake Tortum was formed. The length of the lake is 8 km, width – 1 km, depth – 100 m.

Lake Tortum

Lake Sev

Lake Sev is located in the forested slopes of the Arsian Range, 12 km north-east of Shavshat. The height is 1632 m above sea level.

Lake Sev

Dzknalich

Dzknalich is located in Ardznik, not far from the historical city of Ardzn. This small lake was consecrated many centuries ago, and to this day, locals do not even fish here. In this lake live big fish, which are considered holy.

Lake Dzknalich

The foundations of brick walls built by the Armenians have survived to this day.

Lake Dzknalich / Photo by Sasun Danielyan

Ayghr of Kars

Lake Ayghr is located 20 km north-west of Kars. The height is 2130 m above sea level. There are many wild birds in the vicinity of the lake.

Lake Ayghr of Kars / Photo by Sasun Danielyan

Van

Lake Van is the largest lake of the Armenian highland. In ancient times it was called Tosp, Rshtunyats sea, Aghi sea, Vaspurakani sea, Tarekhi Lake, Bznunyats sea, Akhtamar, the sea of Nairi land. Lake Van is located on a volcanic plateau of Armenian highland, at an altitude of 1716 m above sea level. The surface of the lake covers an area of 3760 m. Depth of the lake is 451 m.

Lake Van has a sloping coastline; the length is 125 km, width – 51 km. The mountains of the Armenian Taurus, Shatakh and Rshtunyats stretch along the southern bank of the lake. There are 4 islands in the lake – Arter, Akhtamar, Ktuts and Lim.

Lake Van was dammed with lava flows. As a result of the eruption of Nemrut volcano, the riverbeds were blocked and a lake formed in the tectonic graben valley. According to H. Lynch, the dam is 80 m above the lake.

Lake Van – Goms monastery

Many researchers of the lake found the elevations of the lake in different places, at different heights, up to 45 m above the lake. This means, that after the formation of the hills, the terrain gradually raised. The water level often fluctuated. The lake is mainly fed by rain and snow, and in north and west it is also fed by groundwater.

Lake Van is closed; its water flow mainly comes from evaporation. There are no favorable conditions for the organic world, therefore only tarekh lives here (Van herring), but only at the mouths of rivers. Locals smoke this fish and use it also in the winter. In the basin of Lake Van there are many remains of ancient cathedrals, bridges, vishaps and other historical monuments, as well as cuneiforms of the Urartian period.

Our team during the hike around Lake Van

Since ancient times there has been navigation on Lake Van. The main ports are Van, Datvan, Khlat and Archesh.

According to one of the legends, in giant dragons lived in Lake Van – vishaps, with which angels constantly fought. When vishaps turned 1000 years old, angels pulled them out of water, brought them closer to the sun and burned them. Ashes of vishaps fell and the lake was covered with fog.

Nemruta Tsovak

Active volcano Nemrut (Sarakn) is located on the western shore of Lake Van. Circumference is about 50 km. The peak of the volcano is a large caldera, where the lakes of Nemrut formed. The smallest of the lake has a higher temperature. The crater of Nemrut is the largest in Armenian highland. Also it is one of the largest craters in the world. There are many reserves of cold and mineral water on the mountain. The biggest lake of the crater is Nemruta Tsovak.

Crater lake on Mount Nemrut

In this article only lakes of Armenian highland were presented. See also the lakes of Armenia.

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Armenian Highland

Mount Sis

Armenian Highland / General characteristics

Scientific Research of the Armenian Highland

Armenia on ancient maps

Active Volcanoes of Armenian Highland

armeniangeographic — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 08:50:31 +0000

The territory of Armenian Highland has a complex and unique structure which fuels the interest of well-known scientists and researchers to observe the historicօ-geographical and geological conditions of this area. It can be regarded as a mountainous island in Western Asia. Because of its position Armenian Highland is distinguished from the neighboring Anatolian and Iranian plateaus.

Alpine rock-forming processes

Armenian Highland was formed as a result of geological processes that underlie the formation of mountains. The sea level gradually decreased, and the rising geosynclinal grew into a mountainous country. During that time the strata got distorted and fragmented forming fold mountains. All these were accompanied by powerful volcanic eruptions.

The geological phenomena underlying the mountain formation processes continue in our country till today and the best evidence of that are Tondrak and Nemrut (Sarakn), which are active volcanoes.

P.S. If the volcano periodically erupts, releases gases or has erupted throughout the last 10,000 years then it is defined as “active”.

Misconception of Vayotssar

Mountain Vayotssar, the height of which is 2581 meters, is located in the province of Vayots Dzor, to the north-west of the village Herher. This is a cone that rises throughout the length of the ridge. The depth of the crater is about 125 meters.

According to some historical data, the last eruption of Vayotssar took place in 735 A.D and was accompanied by a destructive and devastating earthquake.

Volcano Vayotssar

Dense darkness invaded reality and encircled the whole region throughout the next forty days. The earthquake shook the earth like the waves of the sea. Mountains were flooded, sources were deluged, and the houses turned into the graveyards of those who used to live there before this disastrous occasion. The area desperately trembled, from the chasm and air voices murmured: “Vay dzor, vay dzor.”

Historian Orbelyan claimed that this particular story stands behind the origin of the current name of this province.

However, it is worth noting, that the historical records of Yeghishe and Movses Khorentsi, written decades before that eruption, disprove the aforementioned claim.

Nonetheless, after studying the geology of Armenia, researchers vocalize that there have been no volcanic eruptions in our country for a couple of millennia and the story of Vayotssar is a misconception.

Nemrut

The height of Nemrut is 2935 meters (3050m in old sources). It is a young active volcano. Hot gases, waters, and vapor is coming out from its slopes and crater.

Volcano Nemrut

The summit of Nemrut is a large caldera. A caldera is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms following the evacuation of a magma reservoir. The inner walls of the caldera are steep and deepen up to 600-800 meters.

The crater of Nemrut is the largest in Armenian Highland with a diameter of 8 kilometers. After the Nemrut tour, having climbed the mountain, one can notice on the western part of the crater, at the height of 2500 meters is expanding the crater lake with a surface area of 9 square kilometers. Previously this volcano released basaltic lavas which eventually enclosed the concavity of Lake Van and resulted in the formation of the lake.

The crater lake of Nemrut

According to the British scientist F. Oswald, the last eruption of the mountain took place in 1441. He participated in H. F. Lynch’s 1898 Armenian scientific expedition, studied the geological structure of Armenian Highland and published a geological schematic map of the latter(1907).

Tondrak

Tondrak is a large volcano the height of which is 3533 meters. Numerous hot springs are flowing from the crater of this volcano. According to Élisée Reclus (geographer), the crater of this volcano has a depth of 350 meters. He also claimed that the geologist Taylor witnessed the geyser. Although there are no geysers now, there are dozens of hot creeks and gases pouring out as a result of perpetuating terrestrial forces.

Tondrak

The mountain was called Tondrak since it is similar to an Armenian tandoor (tonir). Historical records indicate that the volcano was intensively activated in the 1550s and the last volcanic eruption took place in 1855. The southern side of Tondrak is divided by the river of Berkri and its tributaries. There are several traces of ancient glaciation on the top of the mountain.

Tondrak / Photographer Tigran Shahbazyan

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