Mount Qarni Yarikh is situated to the east of Salmas Township, with natural tracks that have helped the imaginative minds of the Salmasi people in creating the legend of Qarni Yarikh. According to the legend, long ago there were three brothers who were all in love with the same girl. The girl was more interested in the youngest brother, but for whatever reasons could not openly express her interest. Each one of the three brothers persistently tried to convince her to marry him and not the others. The girl thought of a way to tackle the problem, and asked the three brothers to start digging tracks into a mountain south of Salmas, which is now called Qarni Yarikh.

According to her rules, the first brother who could dig all the way up the mountain would be the winner and could marry the girl. The competition day arrived and the three brothers started digging. At the same time, the girl started digging from the top of the mountain to help the youngest brother with whom she was in love. As can be expected, the two older brothers failed and the two lovers finally united in marriage. As can be seen today, one track has reached all the way to the top of the mountain while the other two have stopped midway.

Today, we know the tracks are the result of different geological phenomena during different geologic periods. Ancient men had dug chambers along the tracks, which demonstrate certain aspects of the life of the thinking man in the heart of mountains. The legend might be considered a reflection of the way men took shelter in solid mountains, dwelled in natural locations (caves and caverns) and even built shelters to perform religious rites.

Today, researchers classify the existing caverns in Qarni Yarikh as Urartu works.

Source: www.salmas-mash.4t.com