Did you know that the Georgian word arara (არარა) translates to "nothing"? Now, imagine constructing a term for "a land where there is nothing" by adding the Georgian suffix -eti, commonly used to denote a place or region. The result is Arareti. Alternatively, in the Zan dialect (as noted in Klimov’s Etymological Dictionary), it becomes Ararati. Both forms—Arareti and Ararati—essentially mean the same thing: a "desert," or more precisely, "a place where there is nothing."
Why this interpretation? Consider the geographical reality of Mount Ararat, which stands at 5,000 meters. At such an elevation, there are no settlements, no people, no animals, and no plants—truly, there is nothing. Thus, Arareti or Ararati aptly describes this barren, desolate landscape: a land where there is nothing.
This etymology sheds new light on the Noah myth. Contrary to the traditional narrative, Noah didn’t dock his Ark on Mount Ararat itself. Instead, he likely landed in a desert—still within the Mesopotamian region—where the term Ararati would simply mean a barren expanse, aligning with the story’s setting of a post-flood world.
This linguistic connection offers a fresh perspective on a timeless tale, grounding it in the stark realities of the ancient landscape.
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