Mount Ararat focus of the searches for Noah's Ark. Augustin Calmet wrote in his 1722 biblical dictionary, "It is affirmed, but without proof, that there are still remains of Noah's ark on the top of this mountain; but M. de Tournefort, who visited this spot, has assured us there was nothing like it; that the top of mount Ararat is inaccessible, both by reason of its great height, and of the snow which perpetually covers it." Archaeological expeditions, sometimes supported by evangelical and millenarian churches, have been conducted since the 19th century in search of the ark. According to a 1974 book
Ararat, Armenia accommodate the workers. In 1930, the settlement was officially formed as a labour accommodation area, while the cement plant gave its first production in 1933. In 1935, the settlement was enlarged with the inclusion of the surrounding rural areas. In 1947, it was officially named Ararat after the nearby biblical Mountains of Ararat. With the establishment of several industrial plants, Ararat was developed as a major industrial centre of the Armenian SSR, to become an urban-type settlement. Due to its rapid growth and the gradual increase of the population, Ararat was given the status of a town in 1962. In