Mount Cudi: The Quranic Mountain of Noah’s Ark

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1. What is Mount Cudi?
2. How do you get to Mount Cudi?
3. When is the best time to visit Mount Cudi?
4. What is the history of Mount Cudi?
5. What is Mount Cudi famous for?
6. What can you see at Mount Cudi?
7. Common misconceptions about Mount Cudi
8. Frequently asked questions about Mount Cudi
9. What do the official records say about Mount Cudi?

What is Mount Cudi?

Mount Cudi (Cudi Dağı) is a long limestone mountain in Şırnak province, rising to about 2,089 m above the Tigris plain northeast of Cizre. In Islamic tradition it is al-Judi, the mountain where the Quran says Noah’s Ark came to rest, and for many centuries it was the most widely accepted site of the Ark’s landing across the Middle East.

The 2002 inventory calls Mount Cudi the leading tourism centre of the province and records that large nails, called “mıt”, and pieces of timber said to belong to the Ark are found on the mountain.

How do you get to Mount Cudi?

The mountain rises between Cizre, Silopi and Şırnak town, and the base towns are reached by road from Cizre, which has the province’s airport. GoTürkiye describes sweeping views and rugged peaks reached by a mountain road. The mountain lies close to the Syrian and Iraqi borders, and access to the upper slopes depends on local security arrangements, so ask the Şırnak Governorship or the provincial culture and tourism directorate about current conditions before planning a visit, and go with a local guide.

Cizre is within 10 km of the Syrian border, an area where UK travel advice is against all travel (FCDO).

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When is the best time to visit Mount Cudi?

Late spring and early autumn. In summer the plain below is extremely hot, though the upper mountain is cooler; in winter the summit area can be snowbound. The provincial directorate gives the 10th of Muharram as the day the Ark came to rest.

What is the history of Mount Cudi?

Opening hours change through the year, so check them before you visit. The provincial directorate quotes this verse and adds a local tradition: a village at the foot of the mountain is called Heştan, meaning “eighty”, after the number of people said to have been on board. After the Flood, it says, Noah and his followers built a place of prayer and an altar for sacrifice on Cudi to give thanks to God.

The tradition is far older than Islam. Assyrian Christians east of the Tigris told of the Ark resting on this mountain in the land of Qardu, and Armenian and early Christian writers associated the landing with the same region until about the 11th century, when attention shifted to the peak now known as Mount Ararat. The 10th-century historian al-Mas‘udi wrote that the place where the Ark landed could still be seen, and the geographer Yaqut mentioned a mosque on the mountain said to have been built by Noah. A Christian monastery on the mountain was reportedly destroyed by lightning in the 8th century.

The provincial directorate also records that the Assyrian king Sennacherib placed six relief sculptures on Cudi and built temples there.

What is Mount Cudi famous for?

• Noah’s Ark. The Quranic resting place of the Ark, revered by Muslims and, historically, by Syriac Christians.
• Pilgrimage. For centuries people have climbed the mountain to the place associated with the Ark.
• Views. The mountain looks south over the Tigris plain towards Syria and Iraq.

What can you see at Mount Cudi?

The landing place. On the upper mountain, the place traditionally associated with the Ark is visited by pilgrims. The inventory records the nails and timber fragments that local people attribute to the Ark.

The Tigris plain. From the slopes you see Cizre and the Tigris below, with the mountains of Iraq beyond.

Cizre’s Noah sites. Combine the mountain with the Prophet Noah Mosque and tomb in Cizre and the Red Madrasa.

Common misconceptions about Mount Cudi

Did Noah’s Ark land on Mount Ararat?

What people often assume: The Ark is linked only with Mount Ararat, the volcano in Ağrı province.

What the record says: The Quran names al-Judi as the resting place, without the word “mountain” attached, and Islamic tradition places it at Cudi near Cizre; the Şırnak culture and tourism directorate quotes the verse and the local traditions (Şırnak Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism). Genesis speaks of “the mountains of Ararat”, a region rather than a single peak, and the identification with today’s Mount Ararat became widespread only in the Middle Ages.

Frequently asked questions about Mount Cudi

What do the official records say about Mount Cudi?

Mount Cudi comes first among the province’s tourism centres. It is the place where Noah’s Ark settled as a result of the Flood of Noah. To the north of the province, in the same direction, is Mount Namaz. On Mount Cudi there are large nails, called “mıt”, and timber remains belonging to the Ark of the Prophet Noah. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Şırnak Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)