Akori

On the other bank of Araks

Akori village is located on the opposite side of the Araks River. The word “opposite” suggests that it no longer belongs to Armenians. Although you can turn on the receiver there and feel at home, as the radio picks up Armenian waves. Moreover, Armenian mobile operators are available there, so even from the “opposite bank” you can easily call home from your phone. Birds and radio waves do not need the permission of border guides to fly from one coast to another.

From the opposite bank, you can clearly see the Metsamor nuclear power plant, Vagharshapat, Yerevan, Artashat. However, as we do not have a border with Turkey, to get there, we need to make a huge detour, passing through Georgia.

The border of Armenia and Turkey divides the Araks River into two parts: “this side” and the “opposite side”. We Armenians live on “this side”, and with the “opposite side” we are connected with memories. One of these memories is the Akori village.

The story of Akori

Akori village is located on the northeastern slope of Mount Ararat. This settlement was first mentioned by Ghazar Parpetsi in connection with the Armenian-Persian war of 481-484. According to legend, Noah planted a willow tree here.

Near the Akori village the Surb Hakob (St Jacob) monastery operated for centuries. Here, a wooden fragment of Noah’s Ark was kept. The monastery was also famous for its sacred spring, the water of which was considered healing and miraculous.

The Bishop Jacob of Nisibis, after whom the monastery was named, lived in the 4^th century. He was considered one of the preachers of Christianity in Greater Armenia. He is mentioned in historical sources as the first person who tried to climb Mount Ararat to find the remains of the legendary Noah’s Ark.

Legend has it that Saint Jacob repeatedly tried to climb to the top of Mount Ararat to find the Noah’s Ark, which is buried under a thick layer of ice. He was climbing the mountain, taking a nap, then waking up and finding himself at the foot of the mountain. Therefore, he was forced to climb it again and again.

After several unsuccessful attempts, God appears in his dream and says: “Do not try to find the Ark anymore. I will give you a piece of wood, from which the Ark was built”. When Jacob wakes up, he surprisingly finds that piece of wood. Saint Jacob decides to build a monastery on the very spot where he found the piece of wood.

Akori village and Surb Hakob monastery do not exist now. They were destroyed to the ground during the devastating earthquake of 1840. On this day, the whole village was buried under a thick layer of stones. Only the khachkars in the cemetery mysteriously survived. They stand there to this day.

It is known that before the natural disaster of 1840, Akori was a large village. About 2200 people lived there, the vast majority of whom were Armenians.

The first ascent to the top of Mount Ararat

In 1829, the German geologist and traveler Friedrich Parrot and Armenian writer Khachatur Abovyan climbed to the top of Mount Ararat. Later, the traveler described Akori village in his memoirs as a flourishing, cozy and hospitable place. By the way, during the ascent to Ararat, Parrot set up the base camp of the expedition in the Surb Hakob monastery. After the earthquake destroyed Akori, the village of New Akori was built nearby. By the end of the 19^th century, there were about 50 houses, a church and a guardhouse. Now the small Kurdish village of Yenidogan is located in this area.

Our trip to Akori

On the last day of our hike, we went to Akori. We drove around Lake Van and climbed the Sipan and Nemrut mountains. We turned to the west from the city of Iğdır and started to get closer to Yerevan. On our way we stopped in a village, where the ancestors of one of our friends lived. A military base was set up at the entrance of the village. You could enter and exit the village only with permission. There was a barrier at the entrance.

It was rather strange. We had never seen anything like that before. As we approached the barrier, a car was driving out of the village, and the barrier was open. We drove in immediately. We traveled around the village and returned to the same place to continue our journey. The armed policemen were waiting for us there. They checked our documents, and after making sure that we are not dangerous they released us. By the word “kilise” (church in Turkish) we guessed that we were asked if we were looking for a church.

So close, yet so far

We continued our journey along the Araks River. We looked at Armenia and everyone had the same thought in their minds: “so close, yet so far”. The road turned towards Ararat. From our bank of Araks, you can approach Ararat as much as it is allowed – to the left bank. From their bank it is possible to go as close as you can. It seemed that soon we would enter Ararat. We were already on the slope and practically “climbed” up the mountain.

We arrived to the Akori cemetery, a witness of the former settlement. Ararat looked even more impressive through the Armenian khachkars. We started to take as many pictures as we could. We didn’t even have time to enjoy the view, to think, to realize where we are, because the drone approached us from the sky and kicked us out of there. Apparently, the Turkish police were too lazy to approach us, and they decided to send the drone to let us know, that we need to leave. The resistance was useless, so we left the place, but managed to take a few more shots.

Article by Tigran Shahbazyan

Photos by Eduard Stepanyan, Hrachuhi Ayvazyan, Tigran Shahbazyan

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