The first perceptible sign that the water was receding was that the ark came to a stop. The ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. This mountain range is in eastern Turkey, in Armenia.
It did not yet mean that the mountaintops were already above the water. The ark probably had a draft of about five meters. Thus, one can understand that the ark had already run aground without the mountain peaks being visible yet. It took about two and a half months before the first mountain peaks were visible again. That was a new encouragement to Noah and everyone who was in the ark—a new proof that they would live on earth again.
4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.