Armen Petrosyan has an interesting paper about mountain Masis / Ararat

 Armen Petrosyan has an interesting paper about mountain Masis / Ararat.

The word Masis has Mesopotamian origin (Sumero-Akkadian). It means twin. A natural name for a twin mountain.The root is the Masu (Akkadian form) while the form Masis is a plural from Masik'. But this name was not attested in Urartian period. And it seems it was renamed from an old Armenian word Erku meaning two/twin.

Indeed in Urartian texts the modern Igdir region is called Erkua-hi or Erikuahi. This can be interpreted as yet another evidence of Armenian presence in Etiuni.

Additionaly in medieval time there was a province called Maseac'otn (Igdir -Maku) which would mean foothills of Masi.

An interesting question arise. Why Armenians stopped to use the Armenian term Erku and started to use the Mesopotamian Masu? Maybe due to religious reasons 

https://www.academia.edu/45116125/%D5%84%D4%B1%D5%8D%D4%BB%D5%8D_%D4%B1%D5%90%D4%B1%D5%90%D4%B1%D5%8F%D4%B8_%D5%80%D4%B1%D5%85%D5%88%D5%91_%D5%95%D4%BC%D4%BB%D5%84%D5%8A%D5%88%D5%8D_%D4%B5%D5%8E_%D5%86%D5%90%D4%B1_%D4%B1%D5%8C%D4%B1%D5%8D%D5%8A%D4%B5%D4%BC%D5%86%D4%B5%D5%90%D4%B8_MASIS_ARARAT_THE_ARMENIAN_OLYMPUS_AND_ITS_MYTHS