The First Ascent to Mount Ararat / Armenian Geographic

Many European travelers and geographers showed exceptional interest in exploring the Armenian Highlands, especially its eastern part. They were particularly interested in Mount Ararat and the Ararat Valley, which, according to a Biblical legend, were considered the site of human settlement after the Great Flood. European travelers considered Ararat a mountain completely inaccessible to humans. The presented materials spoke about the steepness of Ararat’s slopes, its unattainable peak and eternal glacial fields. Relatively reliable information about Mount Ararat reached Europe thanks to the French travelers Jean Chardin (1673) and Pitton de Tournefort (1701). But the scientists also reported on the inaccessibility and impassibility of Ararat. Passed on from generation to generation, the created myth became even more entrenched and acquired undeniable religious power.

Friedrich Parrott’s expedition to Ararat

The difficult political situation in Eastern Armenia was an obstacle to scientific research in the mountainous part of Ararat. The lawlessness of the ruling khans, as well as the raids of nomadic tribes did not provide an opportunity to explore Ararat thoroughly for many years. The transition of Eastern Armenia to Russia made the work of scientists easier. Friedrich Parrot, a professor of the University of Dorpat, a famous scientist, physicist, doctor and naturalist was the first to take advantage of the favorable political changes. It was Parrot who, having made some efforts, organized a scientific expedition to Armenia with the purpose of not only completing an ascent of Ararat, inaccessible to “mere mortals”, but also to explore the entire mountainous territory. The expedition was complex, in which astronomer V.F. Fedorov, geologist Begagel von Adlerkron, students K. Schiemann and G. Gein took part.

On September 8th, 1829 the expedition members arrived in Etchmiadzin, where the local clergy hospitably greeted them. The translator was Kh. Abovyan. At the request of F. Parrott, Kh. Abovyan received an order from the Catholicos to join the expedition as a translator and guide. He gladly took on this responsibility.

Ascent to Ararat

September 10th – expedition members left Etchmiadzin and began their ascent to Ararat.

September 11th – scientists made their first observations on the banks of the Araks River, then reached a village named Akhuri. F. Parrot, accompanied by Kh. Abovyan, meets S. Kojyan, the head of Akhuri. Parrot asks Kojyan for some people and oxen. In the evening travelers reach the Monastery of St. Hakob, which was supposed to be their permanent place of stay.

September 12th, 7 am – F. Parrot made the first attempt to complete an ascent to Ararat, in which K. Schiemann, a cossack and a man from the village of Akhuri named Sahak participated. F. Parrott’s group started the ascent from the eastern side of the mountain and, before reaching the eternal glaciers, spent a night in a strip of meadows at an altitude of 3502 m.

September 13th – the group continued the ascent without the villager Sahak. Faced with glacial thickness, travelers encountered new obstacles. Lacking adequate clothing and food supplies, they could not go further. They had a few hours left to reach the top, but as it was already getting dark the ascent was impossible. The expedition stopped at an altitude of 4591 m above sea level.

September 14th,10 am – the expedition members safely returned to the Monastery of St. Hakob.

The first unsuccessful attempt was proof that the Biblical mountain was within reach. Abovyan was eager to participate in the second ascent attempt himself.

September 16th – after asking the villagers about a more accessible road to the top of the mountain, the explorers decided to start the second ascent. This time the expedition decided to complete an ascent from the western side of the mountain.

September 17th – all expedition members began preparatory work for the second ascent. Abovyan asks professor Parrot to allow him to also participate in the expedition. At first, considering Abovyan not ready for the expected difficulties and worrying about him, the professor did not agree. But then, heeding Khachatur’s requests, Parrot included him in the group.

Second ascent

September 18th – the expedition began its second ascent. The caravan, with heavily loaded horses and oxen, moved up the western slope. 12 people participated in the second ascent. Overcoming all difficulties the group completed the ascent to the top. The caravan stopped at 6 pm to spend a night near the Kip Gol plain at an altitude of 3704 m.

September 19th – the thermometer showed half a degree of cold, the main part of the expedition, leaving horses, oxen and shepherds, stormed the mountain. Two hours later they came across a glacier. It was necessary to cut steps to cross the glacier. The members of the expedition, helping each other, carefully went up. They encountered a 1.5 m thick glacier in the gorges and finally reached a flat slope. As the weather was getting worse, the wet and cold wind foreshadowed a hurricane, there was no point in crossing the slope. The expedition stopped at an altitude of 4591 m above sea level.

Installation of a wooden cross

It was here that Parrot considered it appropriate to install a twelve-kilogram black cross. The wooden cross was installed with the front side facing Yerevan so that it could be seen through binoculars.

September 20th – the entire expedition, without reaching the top of the mountain, safely returned to its stay. The expedition once again failed to reach the top of the mountain, and in fact the next ascent failed, but it became clear that the direction had been chosen correctly.

September 21st – The storm continued, with fog followed by a thunderstorm and a strong hurricane.

September 22nd – the members of the scientific expedition continued their observations, enriched their collections, and updated their maps. F. Parrot was mainly involved in correcting the magnetic deviations of the needle and the tilt of the measuring instruments. Adlerkron continued to collect and arrange the volcanic rocks of stones that made up the slope of Mount Masis: basalt, porphyrite, andesite, etc.

September 23rd – the scientists began observations not only of the nearby area, but also of more distant places.

September 24th – the weather gradually improved. F. Parrott had a new plan in his mind. He confidently asserted that during the ascent it was impossible to separate time and human strength, that success depended on distance and time they covered during the first day; on the second day, due to the saved effort and time, they would have time to climb to the top of the mountain and be back before noon.

September 25th – there was a stir at the monastery of St. Hakob, the expedition members were preparing for the third attempt at the ascent.

Third attempt

September 26th – the expedition members left the Monastery of St. Hakob at dawn and made their way to the top of the mountain for the third time. F. Parrot, G. Gein, Kh. Abovyan, six villagers and three soldiers took part in the third attempt. They began the ascent from the western, or rather, the northwestern side of the mountain. At 12.00 the expedition members reached the Kip-Gel plain, where they stopped for an hour and a half. The members of the expedition had to shoulder the load. Three people left the group, and 9 people stopped at 5.30 pm at an altitude of 3910 m above sea level, not reaching the border of eternal ice.

September 27th, 5.30 am – the expedition began the last stage of the ascent and crossed the border of eternal snow after half an hour. The glacial fields encountered during the second ascent are much easier to pass through, because the snow began to melt, and the resulting glacial cover was passed by tired people relatively easily. However, the expedition thinned out: one of the villagers fell ill at night and could not join the expedition, and two, unable to bear the hardships of the road, returned back. 6 people left. They, having gathered their last strength, continued to climb.

On the top of Ararat

After crossing several hills and glacial fields, the expedition finally reached the top of the mountain at 3:15 am. Kh. Abovyan set up a one and a half meter cross he brought on his own shoulders.

There were six brave men: Friedrich Parrot, professor of Dorpat University; Khachatur Abovyan, clerk of the Etchmiadzin Monastery; Hovhannes Ayvazyan and Murad Poghosyan, Armenian peasants and Alexey Zdorovenko and Matvey Chalpanov, soldiers of the 41st Jaeger Brigade.

The team remained on top of Masis for only 45 minutes. Not finding anything interesting to bring with him, Kh. Abovyan took a piece of ice wrapped in a handkerchief.

On September 28th, the expedition successfully began its descent early in the morning and safely reached the Monastery of St. Hakob.

After the triumphant ascent, the expedition did not immediately leave the Monastery of St. Hakob. The plans of those brave men included exploring the surrounding area and an ascent to Little Ararat (Sis).

Tools used during the ascent to Ararat

During the period from October 10th to October 23rd, Parrot’s geological expedition conducted exploration of the Geghama Mountains, and then passed through the Geghard Monastery and entered Yerevan. Kh. Abovyan took an active part in the work. Research was also carried out in the villages of Sirbakan and Prcho at the foot of Mount Ararat, and then on the southern slopes of Ararat. Then the group entered the city of Bayazet to explore the Armenian monuments.

Preparing for the ascent to Little Ararat

On October 25th, the team began to prepare for the ascent to Little Ararat. On the evening of October 26th, a group of 9 people reached the northern slopes of Little Masis and stopped for the night in a small forest.

On October 27th, the ascent to Little Ararat began, for which the western slope of the mountain was chosen. One of the members could no longer withstand the difficulties and returned. The remaining 8 people bravely continued the ascent and managed to reach the top of Mount Sis at 11 am.

Source: Khachatur Abovyan Museum