by Victor Ambartsumian, is located on the southern slopes of Aragats, near the village of Byurakan, at an altitude of . It made Armenia one of the world's centers for the study of astrophysics in the 20th century. The ROT-54/2.6, a radio telescope built in 1985 by the radiophysicist Paris Herouni in the village of Orgov, on the slopes of Aragats. Gravity Hill On the highway leading to fortress Amberd is a gravity hill, which has become a tourist attraction, due to an optical illusion leading to a downhill slope appearing to be uphill. In culture Mt. Aragats plays a special role in Armenian history and culture. Along with Ararat, it is considered a sacred mountain for the Armenians. Aragats is a male first name in Armenia, used especially in areas surrounding the mountain. Mt. Aragats is often associated with Gyumri, Armenia's second-largest city. The mountain is depicted on the coat of arms of Gyumri. It is also depicted on the obverse side of the 10,000 Armenian dram banknote (in use since 2003) in the background of Avetik Isahakyan, a poet born in Gyumri. Numerous Armenians poets (e.g. Avetik Isahakyan) have written about Aragats. Marietta Shaginyan compared Aragats to a "half-open bud of a giant pomegranate flower". In one short poem, Silva Kaputikyan compares Armenia to an "ancient rock-carved fortress", the towers of which are Mount Aragats and Mount Ararat. Numerous artists have painted Aragats. Some examples of paintings of Aragats are kept at the National Gallery of Armenia. See also Lake Kari List of volcanoes in Armenia List of elevation extremes by country Notes References Sources Subduction volcanoes Volcanoes of Armenia Mountains of Armenia Polygenetic volcanoes Pliocene stratovolcanoes Pleistocene stratovolcanoes Holocene stratovolcanoes Geography of Aragatsotn Province Four-thousanders of the Caucasus Four-thousanders of the Armenian Highland