Off The Beaten Path: The Secret of Mount Aragats

The Mystery Hill

There are legends about this mountain route. The water here flows not from top to bottom, but from bottom to top. Cars without drivers roll up the mountain. At some parts of the road the cars even pick up speed. Although these phenomena defy physics, they do happen on the roads to Mount Aragats. Mount Aragats is one of the numerous locations that such phenomena take place scattered across the world, where bewildering “mystery spots”, “gravity hills”, “magnetic hills”, or “mystery hills'' exist. These are places where magnetic or supernatural forces are believed to be at work.

Anomalous zones still remain an unsolved mystery for scientists. It is said that this phenomenon is due to either a completely or mostly obstructed horizon. Without a horizon, it becomes difficult to judge the slope of a surface. Objects one would normally assume to be more or less perpendicular to the ground (such as trees) may actually be leaning, offsetting the visual reference. The opposite phenomenon – an uphill road that appears flat – is known in bicycle racing as a “false flat.” This phenomenon also happens relating to water, in that the optical illusion of water flowing uphill is created.

"The embankment is sloped in a way that gives you the effect that you are going uphill," materials physicist Brock Weiss from Pennsylvania State University told Discoveries and Breakthroughs in Science, in 2006. "You are, indeed, going downhill, even though your brain gives you the impression that you're going uphill."

A Destination Worth Visiting! 

Whatever the science behind the phenomenon may be, it’s worth driving to Mount Aragats, and experiencing this phenomenon for yourself. Before you get to the peak of Mount Aragats, be sure to stop by Lake Kari, located on the slopes of Mount Aragats. Lake Kari is formed mostly by ice and snow. It is located 3,190m above sea level and has a perimeter of 1,150 m. There, you can find refuge from the cold under a tent, and warm your body and soul with the traditional Armenian winter soup Khash (and with the culturally accepted pairing of Vodka). Bon appetit!

Off the Beaten Path. The Secret of Mount Aragats.