Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-12
Was Made, Tradition Says,
at Nakhikhevan, Armenia.
OLDEST TOWN ON EARTH
Valley of the Araxes, Ancient High
way Of Trade.
ASCENT OF MOUNT ARAFAT
Two Peaks Of the Mountain, On
Rising to the Height Of
1888 Feet.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald
| NAKHIKHEvAN, Armenia, June 8, 1910
If that entertaining old story teller call
ed tradition can be relied upon this is
the eldest town In existence-the first
human settlement founded after the del
uge. And here began the renaissance Of
Noah of world that had been washed
clean of sin and iniquity after thor
ough soaking of forty days. Nakhkhe-
van Is where Noah and his family settled
down when they came out Of the ark.
and he made his home here, according to
the legends, until his death. We do not
know exactly where he lived before the
deluge or where the ark was built, but
at any rate he did not go back there,
and from this place the family scattered
to obey the divine command to replenish
the earth. And that reminds me Of a
good story.
Several years ago, in Mississippi. l at
tended services at a Methodist church
and heard philosophical sermon deliv-
cred by a gigantic colored man who
worked at the carpenters trade during
the week and preached twice to an ad-
miring congregation on Sunday. He was
Va
the occasion l allude to was Patience
the virtues of patience, forbearance and
toleration-and it was a most excellent
discourse. During the course OF his re-
| standing that Job is the ideal of pa
thence, but declared that in his own
humble opinion Noah was the most pa
tient man mentioned in the Bible.
THE Lord" he said, told Noah to
build an ark and admonished him not
| to tell anybody what he was doing. The
great flood that was to wash the earth
clean and new was a secret and nobody
but God and Noah knew what was going
to happen. 1t was the most tremendous
secret ever told to a human man and
Noah had to keep 1T all alone to himself
for forty years. He could not tell his
wife and he couldn't tell the boys. who
were helping him to build the boat, and
all he could say to them was that they
must suppress their curiosity and ask no
questions. But he could not keep the
neighbors away, and for forty years
everybody in the town was coming
around every day or two asking Noah
what he was making and fooling with his
tools
None but carpenter could realize what
that meant. and it was the good preach
er's conviction that Noah instead of Job.
having endured that experience, was en-
titled to the honor and credit of being
called the most patient man mentioned in
the Bible.
Only Tradition to Depend Upon.
There are various ways Of spelling the
name Of this town. which is the case
with nearly all the towns In this part Of
the world. The Russians have it Max
hitchevan, but the map makers generally
accept the Armenian version, for it is an
Armenian word and it means HE de-
seconded here" referring, of course, to
the landing from the ark.
It's worth the trip from Erivan, and
even from Tiflis, If only to say that you
have been here. It's a distinction to
have visited the Oldest community on the
entire globe, and Noah would feel very
much Set up II he could know that people
came all the way from America to do
his town such an honor. Unfortunately
there are no records to back up the pre-
tentions of the sleepy little place; there
is no history of THESE eventful days; the
oldest Inhabitants are all dead and the
only foundation for the tradition is a few
vague words In the Bible.
The only piece of the ark in existence,
as i told you yesterday, is preserved in
the treasury Of the Monastery Of Fitch
miadzin with other sacred relics. Noah
Is buried near Damascus, where his grave
is forty-five feet long. and the people
there will tell you that he was a very
tall man. His wife is buried at the vii
lage of Marand, at the base of Ara
rat. where she died few years after the
landing. The poor woman was not al
lowed to live to see the glory of her
descendants.