Mount Ararat. At 5,137 metres, it is the highest mountain in Turkey. But it is much more than that. Situated in the border region between Iran, Armenia and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan, this dormant volcano, which is the national symbol of the Armenians, bears mystical names such as “the fiery mountain” (Kurdish) or “Noah’s Mountain” (Persian). It is said that Noah once came to rest here, in the Ararat region, with his ark.

At 5 a.m. on 3 May 2022, Benedikt set off on his speed ascent of Mount Ararat. Little did he know then that this climb would turn out to be one of the most mentally gruelling of his life. The night before, he had spent the night with an Anatolian farming family who had taken him into their humble home on the edge of civilisation. That alone – the warmth of these people, who themselves have barely enough to live on – was a moving experience that filled him with deep humility. Whilst the family is still asleep, Benedikt sets off …

He loves the contrasts of these mountains, which rise up from the heart of the landscape and where, within a few hours, he passes through blossoming spring and the depths of winter. But this time he found himself in a complete whiteout. He covered long stretches of the route with absolutely no visibility, often doubting whether he would find his way back.

Five and a half hours later, Benedikt had reached the summit of Ararat – and eight hours later he was back in the small mountain village of Çevirme, from where he had set off early that morning. Benedikt recounts what happened in between and how he was received by the locals on the Abendschau programme on BR television.