Odzasar (Vishapasar)

Mount Odzasar

Zangezur Range

Elevation: 2412 m

Coordinates: 39.137653, 45.715356

The most famous mountain in Nakhichevan

Mount Odzasar or Vishapasar is located at the south-western foot of the Zangezur Range, in the watershed between the rivers Gilan and Yernjak. The massif which dominates the low-lying hilly environment is composed of bare rock. The sides are furrowed by extremely pronounced gorges and pits, and the summit area is divided in two parts.

Legends about Mount Odzasar

Numerous folk tales are associated with Mount Odzasar, one of them saying that the two parts of its peak appeared after a couple chased by some bandits was petrified there. As narrated in another legend, during the Flood, when the earth was entirely in water, Noah’s Ark struck this mountain at night with such a forceful impact that it split in two parts. The Patriarch cursed the mountain, after which it turned into an abode of snakes and dragons, hence its names Odzasar (Snake Mountain; odz is the Armenian equivalent of snake) and Vishapasar (Dragon Mountain; vishap is the Armenian for dragon).

In some folk narratives, this mountain represents one of the dragons killed by Vahagn, the pagan god of fire, thunder and war who was known as the Dragon Slayer (Vishapakagh).

Also, tradition has it that the mountain area often turns into a “battlefield” for fighting snakes. These reptiles had a king, according to another legend, who lived on Mount Masis and was visited by all the snakes of the neighbourhood every seven years. One day, while he was having a ride in his fiery carriage, it struck a mountain, splitting its top in two parts. From that day onwards, the mountain was called Odzasar.

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Armenian Highland