The emblem of the Armenian SSR was devised from an initial prototype sketch by Martiros Saryan, a famous Armenian painter, and was adopted in 1937 by the government of the Armenian SSR.

Mount Ararat, also known as Mount Ağrı or Masis, is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in eastern Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest peak in Turkey and the Armenian Highland with an elevation of 5,137 m (16,854 ft); Little Ararat's elevation is 3,896 m (12,782 ft). The Ararat massif is about 35 km (22 mi) wide at ground base. The first recorded efforts to reach Ararat's summit were made in the Middle Ages, and Friedrich Parrot, Khachatur Abovian, and four others made the first recorded ascent in 1829.