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Ara the Beautiful or Ara the Handsome (Armenian: Արա Գեղեցիկ - Ara Geghetsik in Armenian), according to legend, was an Armenian king who ruled the Kingdom of Ararat from 1769 to 1743 B.C. He is notable in Armenian literature for the popular legend in which he was so handsome that the Assyrian queen Semiramis waged war against Armenia just to get him. This legend has been passed on for more than 3000 years.

Contents 1 The legend 2 The ending 3 References 4 See also

According to the legend, Semiramis, queen of Assyria, had heard about Ara's good looks and charm and desired him for herself. Ara who was married declined her advances because he did not want to betray his home and his family.

This infuriated Semiramis and she soon declared war on Armenia. With a powerful army, she attacked the Armenians. In a battle fought in the Ararat valley, Ara was slain even though she had specifically asked for her men to bring Ara to her alive. This led her to become depressed like thousand of women who longed for the king's beauty. In order to stop continuous warfare with the Armenians, it is said that Semiramis prayed to the gods to revive Ara from the dead. Semiramis, reputed to be sorceress, took his body and tried in vain to enliven him. When Armenians advanced to avenge their leader, she disguised one of her lovers and spread the rumor that gods brought Ara back to life. As a result, the war was ceased.

There are different endings to this legend, some even stating that Ara came back from the dead. Arguably, most of the time, the legend consists of Ara dying, and never returning. Here are a few different endings:

• Body on top of castle ending
• The disguise

• Short Summary
• Armenian legends
• Ara

• Haik
• Semiramis