Araler Mountain

The mountain Araler is situated between Hrazdan and Kasagh rivers. Its height is 2577m. It has irregular conical-shape with truncated summit and ring-shaped crater.

Climate is continental, precipitations reach to 300-400mm in a year. Wormwood semi-deserts, covered with grayish earth, are dominated in mountain slopes. The prairies are spread in higher. From minerals there are andesite-basalt and andesite.

In northern slopes there are thinly growing oak-trees groves and bushes. During hot weather the whole mountain is covered with colorful and luxuriant flowers. Here you can see numerous animals. Near the stony summit there are many poisonous snakes.

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According to legend, mountain was called by the name of Armenian King Ara Geghetsik (Handsome). During the war against Assyrian queen Shamiram the king Ara arranged his army at the foot of Araler mountain, and queen-on the slope of Hatis.

According to legend the mountain Araler it is the body of Ara king who fell in battle. From a distance it is really looks like a laying man with hands on breast.

Often from tourists you can hear an expression like this: “We rose towards the hands” or “We turned to the feet”. “The hands” are the middle part of mountain, ”the legs” are the eastern part, where is the highest point of mountain. The rock mass on the western part of summit is called “a nose” or “Akloraqar” (Cock stone).

There is a cave which is called Kuys Varvara’ (Varvara virgin) hermitage. Visitors feel horror when they imagine how the selfless virgin spent a night in that ridge, in loneliness, under the danger of lightning and storm.

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There is also one legend connected with Araler. They say, when Hripsime and Gayane virgins were escaping from king’ army they asked a herdsman to show them a safe way for hiding. The herdsman helped them but told soldiers about it and the same moment he with his herd hardened into stones.

The mountain Araler is very beautiful, especially the way from legs to nose. Usually huge crowd climb to the mountain on 24 of April - the day of Great Genocide.