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MOUNT ARARAT. 
place of a district bearing the same name, which is divided into the 
smaller divisions of Nakhjuwan (in which the town is situated,) Alanjek, 
Ourdabad, and Aligez. The revenue of this district, is at present cal¬ 
culated at 2000 tomauns per annum; the town itself, although long in 
ruins, is still on the decline, particularly since the building of Abbas- 
abad. Both from its situation and general appearance, it bears great 
marks of an ancient city. It is built upon a hill, which overlooks the 
Araxenian plain ; and enjoys a fine climate and good water. Many re¬ 
mains of its ancient Mahomedan grandeur are still to be seen, but we 
could neither find nor hear of any vestige beyond that era. An Arme¬ 
nian priest, with more wine than wisdom in his head, conducted us to 
what he called the tomb of Noah, where we saw a modern brick wall, 
and where he consequently had the satisfaction of being laughed at for 
his pains. Several curious Mahomedan buildings are to be seen in decay, 
most of them crowned with the picturesque nests of the stork; one 
of these, the most conspicuous, is an exceeding fine piece of brick¬ 
work, and is called the tomb of Atta Beg, the Vizier of the celebrated 
Ussim Hassan. 
As we crossed the plain from Abbasabad to Nakhjuwan, we had a 
most splendid view of Mount Ararat. Nothing can be more beautiful 
than its shape, more awful than its height. All the surrounding moun¬ 
tains sink into insignificance when compared to it. It is perfect in all 
its parts, no hard rugged feature, no unnatural prominences, every 
thing is in harmony, and all combines to render it one of the sublimest 
objects in nature. Spreading originally from an immense base, the slope 
towards its summit is easy and gradual, until it reaches the region of 
snows, when it becomes more abrupt. As a foil to this stupendous 
work, a smaller hill rises from the same base near the original mass, 
similar to it in shape and proportions, and in any other situation entitled 
of itself to rank amongst the high mountains. No one since the flood, 
seems to have been on its summit, for the rapid ascent of its snowy top, 
would appear to render such an attempt impossible. Of this we may 
be certain, that no man in modern times has ascended it, for when such 
an adventurous and persevering traveller as Tournefort failed, it is not 
