Ararat plain in the context of "Mount Aragats"

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⭐ Core Definition: Ararat plain

The Ararat Plain (Armenian: Արարատյան դաշտ, romanizedAraratyan dasht), called Iğdır Plain in Turkey (Turkish: Iğdır Ovası), is one of the largest plains of the Armenian Highlands. It stretches west of the Sevan basin, at the foothills of the Gegham mountains. In the north, the plain borders on Mount Aragats, and Mount Ararat in the south.

It is divided into two sections by the Aras River, the northern part located in Armenia, and the southern part in modern Turkey. The Turkish part of the plain is an Important Bird Area.

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Ararat plain in the context of Hrazdan River

The Hrazdan (Armenian: Հրազդան, Hrazdan) is a major river and the second largest in Armenia. It originates at the northwest extremity of Lake Sevan and flows south through the Kotayk Province and Armenia's capital, Yerevan; the lake in turn is fed by several streams. In the Ararat plain it joins the Aras river along the border with Turkey. It joins as a left tributary the Kura river, which then flows into the Caspian Sea.

A series of hydro-electric projects have been constructed on the Hrazdan. Its waters are in demand to irrigate crops.

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Ararat plain in the context of Gegham mountains

The Gegham mountains (or Gegham Ridge; Armenian: Գեղամա լեռնաշղթա, romanizedGeġama lernasheghta) are a range of mountains in Armenia. The range is a tableland-type watershed basin of Sevan Lake from east, inflows of rivers Araks and Hrazdan from north and west, Azat and Vedi rivers from south-west and Arpachai river from south. The average elevation of the Gegham mountain range is near 2500m. The range is of volcanic origin including many extinct volcanoes. The range is 70 km length and 48 km width, and stretch between Lake Sevan and the Ararat plain. The highest peak of the Gegham mountains is the Azhdahak, at 3597m. They are formed by a volcanic field, containing Pleistocene-to-Holocene lava domes and cinder cones. The highland reaches a height of 1800–2000m up to 3000m in the dividing ridge.

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Ararat plain in the context of Yerevan dialect

The Yerevan dialect (Armenian: Երևանի բարբառ, romanizedYerevani barbar’) is an Eastern Armenian dialect spoken in and around Yerevan. It served as the basis for modern Eastern Armenian, one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian. Classical Armenian (Grabar) words, as well as native Armenian words which are not attested in Classical Armenian, compose a significant part of the Yerevan dialect's vocabulary. Throughout history, the dialect has been influenced by several languages, especially Russian and Persian, and loan words have significant presence in it today. It is the most widespread Armenian dialect today.

Historically, it was known as the Araratian dialect (Արարատյան բարբառ, Araratyan barbar’), referring to the Ararat plain where it is mainly spoken. In the 19th century, efforts were made to create a modern literary Armenian language. In 1841, the prominent Armenian writer Khachatur Abovian completed his novel Wounds of Armenia, which was written in the Yerevan dialect. The importance of the dialect grew in 1918, when Yerevan became the capital of the First Republic of Armenia. The Eastern Armenian language and the Yerevan dialect have been heavily influenced by the Russian language.

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