Mount Ararat

Mount Ararat rises alone from the plain to 5,137 metres, with no neighbouring peak to diminish it — which is why it appears so much larger than its height suggests and why it has drawn meaning to itself for thousands of years. Genesis places the resting of the ark on the mountains of Ararat, and the peak is the central emblem of Armenian identity, though it has lain inside Türkiye since 1921.

The ascent is a high trek rather than a technical climb. Most parties take four to six days from Doğubayazıt, camping at around 3,200 and 4,200 metres and making the summit push before dawn, with crampons and an ice axe needed for the final ice cap.

Climbing requires a permit and a licensed guide, and conditions on the mountain change quickly. The reward, on a clear morning, is a horizon that takes in Armenia, Iran and the whole Anatolian plateau, with the shadow of the peak thrown across the plain.