Noah's Ark Found in Turkey? Noah's Ark Found in Turkey? The expedition team is "99.9 percent" sure. Others, well, aren't. View Images Near the top of Mount Ararat (seen from Armenia in a file photo) in Turkey, explorers claim to have found Noah's ark. Photograph by Martin Gray, National Geographic A team of evangelical Christian explorers claim they've found the remains of Noah's ark beneath snow and volcanic debris on Turkey 's Mount Ararat (map) . Related Content (See "Noah's Ark Discovered in Iran?" and "Noah's Ark Quest Dead in Water—Was It a Stunt?" ) "I don't know of any expedition that ever went looking for the ark and didn't find it," said Paul Zimansky , an archaeologist specializing in the Middle East at Stony Brook University in New York State. Turkish and Chinese explorers from a group called Noah's Ark Ministries International made the latest discovery claim Monday in Hong Kong, where the group is based.

"It's not 100 percent that it is Noah's ark, but we think it is 99.9 percent that this is it," Yeung Wing-cheung, a filmmaker accompanying the explorers, told The Daily Mail. Raw Video: Purported Site of Noah's Ark in Turkey (Courtesy Noah's Ark Ministries International) Noah's Ark Location in Turkey a Secret The team claims to have found in 2007 and 2008 seven large wooden compartments buried at 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) above sea level, near the peak of Mount Ararat. They returned to the site with a film crew in October 2009. Many Christians believe the mountain in Turkey is the final resting place of Noah's ark, which the Bible says protected Noah, his family, and pairs of every animal species on Earth during a divine deluge that wiped out most of humanity. "The structure is partitioned into different spaces," said Noah's Ark Ministries International team member Man-fai Yuen in a statement. "We believe that the wooden structure we entered is the same structure recorded in historical accounts. ...

" The team says radiocarbon-dated wood taken from the discovery site—whose location they're keeping secret for now—shows the purported ark is about 4,800 years old, which coincides roughly with the time of Noah's flood implied by the Bible. (Related: "'Noah's Flood' May Have Triggered European Farming." ) "Noah's Ark" Wood "Way, Way, Way Too Young" Skepticism of the new Noah's ark claim extends to at least one scholar who interprets the Bible literally. Biologist Todd Wood is director of the Center for Origins Research at Bryan College in Tennessee, which pursues biology in a creationist framework. As a creationist, Wood believes God created Earth and its various life-forms out of nothing roughly 6,000 years ago. "If you accept a young chronology for the Earth ... then radiocarbon dating has to be reinterpreted," because the method often yields dates much older than 6,000 years, Wood said. Radiocarbon dating estimates the ages of organic objects by measuring the radioisotope carbon 14, which is known to decay at a set rate over time.

The method is generally thought to reach its limit with objects about 60,000 years old. Earth is generally thought to be about four and a half billion years old. Across the board, radiocarbon dates need to be recalibrated, Wood believes, to reflect shorter time frames. Given this perceived overestimation in radiocarbon dating, the wood the Noah's Ark Ministries International team found should have a "traditional" radiocarbon date of several tens of thousands of years if the wood is truly 4,800 years old, Wood said. "I'm really, really skeptical that this could possibly be Noah's Ark," he added. The wood date is "way, way, way too young." Wood thinks Noah's ark will never be found, because "it would have been prime timber after the flood," he said. "If you just got off the ark, and there's no trees, what are you going to build your house out of? You've got a huge boat made of wood, so let's use that," he said.

"So I think it got torn apart and scavenged for building material basically." (Related: National Geographic's search for Noah's flood .) "Noah's Ark" Found in Right Country, on Wrong Mountain? Another reason scholars are skeptical of the latest Noah's ark discovery claim is that Genesis—the first book of the Bible—never specifies which peak the vessel supposedly landed on in Turkey. "The whole notion is odd, because the Bible tells you the ark landed somewhere in Urartu,"—an ancient kingdom in eastern Turkey—"but it's only later that people identified Mount Ararat with Urartu," said Jack Sasson , a professor of Jewish and biblical studies at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Stony Brook's Zimansky agreed. "Nobody associated that mountain with the ark" until the tenth century B.C., he said, adding that there's no geologic evidence for a mass flood in Turkey around 4,000 years ago. (See "'Noah's Flood' Not Rooted in Reality, After All?" ) The Noah's Ark Ministries International explorers are "playing in a very different ballpark than the rest of us," Zimansky said.

"They're playing without any concern for" the archaeological, historical, and geological records. Better Explanations for "Noah's Ark" Structure? Even if the Noah's Ark Ministries International team did find a wooden structure or even a boat on Mount Ararat, there are other explanations for what the structure might be. For example, it could be a shrine constructed by early Christians to commemorate the site where they believed Noah's Ark should be, Zimansky said. Even in that speculative case, it wouldn't be 4,000 years old. "The Bible hadn't even been written yet," he said. Bible scholar Sasson said he thinks biblical writers intended the story of Noah's ark to be allegorical, not a true recounting of historical events. By presenting a scenario in which humanity is punished for its wickedness, "they were trying to draw us to the notion of a God who asks us to be acceptable," Sasson said. Noah's Ark FOUND? Evangelist Group Says It's In Turkey (PHOTOS, VIDEO) | The Huffington Post Noah's Ark FOUND?

Evangelist Group Says It's In Turkey (PHOTOS, VIDEO) 06/27/2010 05:12 am ET | Updated May 25, 2011 2.5k Huffington Post Noah's Ark has been found atop a mountain in Turkey, a team of Turkish and Chinese evangelical explorers said Monday, April 26. The 15-person team claims to have recovered fragments of wood and pieces of rope from a structure on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey that carbon dating has put at 4,800 years old, roughly coinciding with the time the biblical flood was said to have been occurred. UPDATE: Scroll down for photos of the supposed ark, posted to the group's Web site , and you be the judge of the evidence. The team is a joint effort between Hong Kong-based Media Evangelism, Noah's Ark Ministry International and the Turkish government.

Yeung Wing-Cheung, a member of the team, told AFP , "It's not 100 percent that it is Noah's Ark but we think it is 99.9 percent that this is it." He said that the structure at the site featured wooden beams and several compartments that were believed to house animals. Wing-Cheung added that local officials will ask the Turkish government to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status, to protect the site while further archaeological excavation is carried out. However, the group has not revealed the location of the site beyond saying that it is 12,000 feet up the mountain. It has also failed to produce exterior photos of the structure. Nicholas Purcell, a lecturer in Ancient History at Oxford University, called the claims "the usual nonsense," according to the Daily Mail . "If floodwaters covered Eurasia 12,000 feet deep in 2,800 BC, how did the complex societies of Egypt and Mesopotamia, already many centuries old, keep right on regardless?" he said. Noah's Ark?

PHOTOS Noah's Ark remains 'discovered' up a mountain in Turkey | Daily Mail Online comments As believers in the literal truth of the Bible, they knew it was there. Even so, the explorers who say they found seven large wooden compartments beneath snow and volcanic debris near the peak of Mount Ararat can be forgiven their excitement. 'It's not 100 per cent that it is Noah's Ark, but we think it is 99.9 per cent that this is it,' said Yeung Wing-cheung, a filmmaker working with the 15-strong team of fundamentalist Christians exploring the Turkish mountain. This picture released by the evangelical group claims to show one of the explorers examining part of a structure which they claim might prove the existence of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat. There are no external images of the site and the Hong Kong-based group refuse to say precisely where they made their discovery until the Turkish government designate it an archaeological site The snow-capped peak of Mt. Ararat. The discovery is said to have been made 12,000ft up the mountain which lies in eastern Turkey GOD'S COMMAND In the Bible, the story of Noah's Ark appears in chapters six to nine of the Book of Genesis.

It tells how God, spurred by the wickedness and corruption of man, vows to send a great cleansing flood. Deeming Noah to be the only righteous man worth saving, God commands him to build a vast ship, the ark - capable of saving himself, his family and a representation of the world's animals. When Noah has completed his task, and God has sent 'two of every sort' of animal to the Ark, the flood waters rise until all mountains are covered and life (except fish) is destroyed. When the flood subsides, the animals leave the Ark and God vows to never again send a flood to destroy man. The story can also be found in the texts of Judaism and Islam. Although considered a historical event, most scholars and archaeologists do not believe in a literal interpretation of the Ark story. The vessel was said to measure '300 cubits, by 50 cubits, by 30 cubits', which translates to up to 515ft long, 86ft wide and 52ft high. They said wood taken from the site, which is more than 13,000ft above sea level, dates to 2,800BC.

If it is the ark, the discovery would be the greatest in the history of archaeology and bear out one of the most famous stories in the Bible. The team of Turks and Chinese researchers from Noah's Ark Ministries International in Hong Kong say they made the discovery on Ararat - the biblical resting place of the ark - in October RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share At a press conference yesterday to announce the discovery, another team member, Panda Lee, said: 'I saw a structure built with plank-like timber. 'Each plank was about eight inches wide. I could see tenons, proof of ancient construction predating the use of metal nails. 'We walked about 100 metres to another site. I could see broken wood fragments embedded in a glacier, and some 20 metres long.' The structure had several compartments, some with wooden beams, the team said. The wooden walls of one compartment were smooth and curved while the video shown by the explorers revealed doors, staircases and nails. The team said the wood appeared to be cypress although, according to the Bible, the ark was built from gopher. The group ruled out identifying the find as a human settlement, saying none had been found so high up in that area.

They are keeping the exact location secret. Four years ago and following a decade of research, U.S. national security analyst Porcher Taylor claimed a satellite image revealed a baffling 'anomaly' on the mountain's north-west corner that he believed to be the remains of the Ark. But Mike Pitt, a British archaeologist, said the evangelical explorers had yet to produce compelling evidence. He added: 'If there had been a flood capable of lifting a huge ship 4km up the side of a mountain 4,800 years ago, I think there would be substantial geological evidence for this flood around the world. And there isn't.' Nicholas Purcell, a lecturer in ancient history at Oxford University, said the claims were the 'usual nonsense'. He added: 'If floodwaters covered Eurasia 12,000ft deep in 2,800BC, how did the complex societies of Egypt and Mesopotamia, already many centuries old, keep right on regardless?' According to Genesis, the first book in the Old Testament, Noah was told to build the ark by God, who wanted to flood the world to punish sinners.

RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share The story was widely seen as fact until the 19th century, when scientists began to question the evidence for a worldwide flood. This photo, also put out by the evangelical group, is said to show part of a wall inside the structure found by the explorers. One of the team said: 'It's not 100 per cent that it is Noah's Ark but we think it is 99.9 per cent that this is it' In 2006, U.S. national security analyst Porcher Taylor claimed this satellite image revealed a baffling 'anomaly' on the mountain's north-west corner that he believed to be the remains of the Ark Wooden beams which the explorers said they found at the site. The search for the physical remains of Noah's Ark has held a fascination for Christians, Jews and Muslims for hundreds of years. But despite various claims no scientific evidence has ever been found The Gravity of Getting Old Noah's Ark Is (still) In Turkey Share: Listen to this page in audio (MP3) Your browser does not support the HTML5 Audio element. by Dan Eden for viewzone Why is this not a BIG story?

I'm often amazed at our lack of knowledge about history. Ordinary people are hungry for this information, yet the organizations responsible to disseminate these facts seem to have an agenda to keep us in the dark. This is especially true when it comes to our ancient human history. I won't hold you in suspense with this article: The Ark of Noah has been found. It's real. I'll describe the evidence in some detail and end with the historical and religious implications. How it was discovered In 1959, Turkish army captain Llhan Durupinar discovered an unusual shape while examining aerial photographs of his country. The smooth shape, larger than a football field, stood out from the rough and rocky terrain at an altitude of 6,300 feet near the Turkish border with Iran. This mountainous land was originally part of the Kingdom of Armenia, a country that is thousands of years old and often considered the "first Christian nation", until the Turks took it over at the beginning of the 20th Century. Capt. Durupinar was familiar with the biblical accounts of the Ark and its association with Mount Ararat in Turkey, but he was reluctant to jump to any conclusions.

The region was very remote, yet it was inhabited with small villages. No previous reports of an object this odd had been made before. So he forwarded the photographic negative to a famous aerial photography expert named Dr. Brandenburger, at Ohio State University. Brandenburger was responsible for discovering the Cuban missile bases during the Kennedy era from reconnaissance photos, and after carefully studying the photo, he concluded: "I have no doubt at all, that this object is a ship. In my entire career, I have never seen an object like this on a stereo photo." In 1960 the picture [above] was published in LIFE magazine under the heading of Noahs Ark? That same year a group of Americans accompanied Capt. Durupinar to the site for a day and a half. They were expecting to find artifacts on the surface or something that would be unquestionably related to a ship of some kind. They did some digging in the area but found nothing conclusive and announced to the anxiously waiting world that it appeared to be a natural formation. Most of the global media turned away from the find and it became a non-story. In 1977 Ron Wyatt visited the site.

Obtaining official permission, Ron and others conducted more thorough research over a period of several years. They used metal detection surveys, subsurface radar scans, and chemical analysis -- real science -- and their findings were startling. The evidence was undeniable. This was the Ark of Noah. #1 -- the Visual Evidence The first part of the survey was to examine the object and take its measurements. The shape looked like the hull of a ship. One end was pointed as you would expect from bow [below: D] and the opposite end was blunt like a stern. The distance from bow to stern was 515 feet, or exactly 300 Egyptian cubits. The average width was 50 cubits. These were the exact measurements mentioned in the Bible. On the starboard side (right) near the stern there were four vertical bulges protruding from the mud [B], at regular intervals, that were determined to be the "ribs" of the hull [see below]. Opposite to these, on the port side, a single rib [A] protrudes from the mud. You can see its curved shape very clearly. Surrounding it are more ribs, still largely buried in the mud, but visible upon close examination.

Remember that this object, if it is the Ark, is extremely old. The wood has been petrified. Organic matter has been replaced by minerals from the earth. Only the shapes and traces of the original wood remain. Perhaps this is why the expedition in 1960 was disappointed. They anticipated finding and retrieving chunks of wood, long since eroded. From the position of the object in the middle of an obvious mudflow, it is obvious that the object slid down more than a mile from its original location. Geologists believe it was originally over 1000 feet higher in the mountain and encased in a shell of hardened mud. They think that an earthquake in 1948 cracked the mud shell and revealed the structure. This is confirmed by stories from the surrounding villagers who tell of its "sudden appearance" around that time. Biblical accounts of the Ark describe it as having as many as six levels. The assumed shape of the Ark seems consistent with the bulge [C] in the middle of the object. In fact, as we will soon learn, radar scans of the structure suggest that this bulge is the collapsed debris of these levels.

Although most people think of the Ark as being rectangular, that only applies to the top decks. The sleek shape of the hull is necessary to enable the huge ship to remain stable in the water and survive tremendous waves. #2 -- Ground Penetrating Radar The human eye needs to see reflected light to recognize an object. To visualize what remains below the earth, scientists use microwaves which can penetrate the ground and bounce back when they hit something solid. This technique is commonly used to locate oil and other minerals. Called Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), the apparatus is made from an antenna that transmits, then listens to receive the "echo" and prints the result on a piece of paper. The delay and strength of this echo tell the geologists how solid and at what depth the objects are under the earth. The team of geologists didn't scan the entire object. Instead, they marked out lines that crossed the object with yellow tape. Then they dragged the antenna (about the size of a lawnmower) over the lines and watched the output on the paper recorder. When they got a strong "hit" -- meaning there was something solid underneath -- they would record the position on the tape [above].

Later, when they made a map of the object, the tape and the location of the "hits" they realized that there was indeed a structure underneath the mud. "This data does not represent natural geology. These are man made structures. These reflections are appearing too periodic... too periodic to be random in that type of natural space." -- Ron Wyatt of SIR Imaging team The radar scans revealed this structure [above] under the mud. The symmetry and logical placement of these objects shows that this is unmistakably a man made structure, most likely the Ark of Noah. #3 -- Artifacts retrieved from the Ark Using the GPR, Ron Wyatt discovered an open cavity on the starboard side. He used an improvised drill to make core sample inside this cavity and retrieved several very interesting objects. Below you can see the artifacts which were sent for laboratory analysis. On the left is the bore hole [see below], followed by what turned out to be petrified animal dung, then a petrified antler and lastly a piece of cat hair. Even more amazing artifacts were found Perhaps the most significant find from the Ark itself is a piece of petrified wood. When this was first found it appeared to be a large beam.

But upon closer examination it is actually three pieces of plank that have been laminated together with some kind of organic glue! This is the same technology used in modern plywood. Lamination makes the total strength of the wood much greater than the combined strength of the pieces. This suggests a knowledge of construction far beyond anything we knew existed in the ancient world. Tests by Galbraith Labs in Knoxville, Tennessee, showed the sample to contain over 0.7% organic carbon, consistent with fossilized wood. The specimen was once living matter. Examination reveals the glue oozed from the layers. The outside of the wood appears to have been coated with bitumen. Even more surprising were laboratory analyses which not only revealed that the petrified wood contained carbon (proving it was once wood) but there were iron nails [above right] embedded in the wood! In Genesis 6:14, God told Noah to "make yourself an ark of gopher wood." "Gopher wood" is a misreading and scribal error. "Kopher" wood is correct and means wood (any wood) that is covered with Kopher. Kopher is bitumen. In the Genesis text (6:14), the context is clear.

The GPR wood used, (a scribal error) is to be covered in KPR. G and K in Hebrew are so similar that inexperienced Hebrew "scholars," such as those translating the King James Version of the Bible, could have been prone to such errors, indeed, they made many such errors. Acts 7: 45 & Hebrews 4: 8 are classic examples of such scribal errors. gpr = "g," as in gopher, k pr = "k,"as in kopher Pictured right is a simple visual comparison of the letters. We like to imagine that humanity evolved in a neat sequence of eras, each named after the technology that was discovered. We have the Stone Age (where man developed arrows and stone tools), the Bronze Age (where metals were combined and heated to make tools and household items) and lastly the Iron Age (where iron and steel objects were made by heating iron ore and adding other material -- like charcoal -- to strengthen it). The Iron Age is usually placed at 1200-1000 BC, yet we have iron nails being used in this extremely old construction. But wait... there's more! The most surprising find was discovered with sensitive metal detectors.

The team located several strong "hits" that, when dug up, revealed large disc shaped rivets. From simple observation of the metal it was possible to see where the rivet had been hammered after being inserted through a hole [below]. If rivets being used in ancient construction doesn't impress you, this surely will. An analysis of the metal used to make the rivets revealed that they were a combination of iron (8.38%), aluminum (8.35%) and titanium (1.59%). Remember these trace metals have survived petrification and so do not indicate the exact content in the original material. (see Report from Galbraith Labs ) We know the aluminum was incorporated in the metallic mixture because it does not exist in metallic form in nature. This implies an extremely advanced knowledge of metallurgy and engineering. Characteristics of an iron-aluminum alloy have been investigated in The Russian Chemical Bulletin (2005) and reveal that this alloy forms a thin film of aluminum oxide which protects the material from rust and corrosion. The addition of titanium would provide added strength. This seems to have worked. The rivets have survived from antiquity!

The surrounding area has more surprises Several miles from the location of the Ark, huge stones were discovered, some standing upright while others lying on the ground. These stones, weighing many tons, have holes carved in them. Scientists have determined that they were anchors and the holes would have been their attachment to a ship with hemp rope. Often these stones will have crosses carved in them, from centuries ago when pilgrims made the journey to visit the Ark. Yes, the Ark was well known in the Middle Ages and even before. And its location was recorded in many historical documents. "And the Ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen." -- Genesis 8:4-5 The Gilgamesh Epic (650 BC) gives Mt. Nisir as the landing place of the Ark. The local name for the town where the Ark was found is Nasar. The annals of Ashurnasurpal II of Assyria (833-859 BC) places it south of the Zab river (correct).

Theophilus of Antioch (115-185 AD) said the Ark could be seen in his day in the Arabian mountains. Later Church Fathers also mention the Ark as late as the mid 7th century. In the 13th century, Willam, a traveler, stated for the first time that Mt. Masis was the Ark location (present-day Mt. Ararat). Ptolemy's Geographia (1548) mentions the mountains of Armenia as the place of landing. So does the traveler Nicolas de Nicolay (1558). Pilgrims to the site would gather bits and pieces of the petrified wood which would be used as charms to ward off evil. When they encountered the anchors, they had no doubt about their association with the Ark. They often carves one big cross to represent Noah and smaller crosses representing his family. The huge anchors would have been suspended from the keel of the ship. This was a common practice among ancient mariners to stabilze a heavy ship and ensure that the bow is always facing the on-coming waves. A "top heavy" ship, such as the Ark, could easily be capsized by a wave approaching from the side.

This is yet further proof that Noah's Ark was a reality and that it has indeed been found in Turkey. After Noah's Ark landed When Dr. Brandenburger originally examined and enlarged the photographs of the "strange object" in Turkey, he also saw hundreds of ancient foundations in the region, suggesting to him that this might have been the first town established after the flood, as described in the Bible. Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. -- Genesis 10:30 Archaeological teams have found many ruins and ancient graves. Many human ribs have been excavated and sent to laboratories for dating. In the midst of this alleged "first city" of Noah, there is an unusual and prominent structure, about 10 feet in diameter, that many believe to be the altar on which Noah made his first sacrifice. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma.

Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease. Again, it surprised me when I research a story like this and find substantial evidence that something extremely important has been found, yet it has been ignored by historians and the media. Perhaps it is because the advanced technology discovered in the Ark suggests that Sumerian legends, the Epic of Gilamesh, and other ancient writing might actually be correct when they speak of an extraterrestrial connection. The plural of god -- Elohim -- is used even in Genesis. Who were these "gods" and how did they walk the Earth and interact with humans of the era... Or perhaps this discovery should be seen as a good reason to accept the Bible at its word. We all need to look deeper into our past to learn what sort of beings we really are, where we are coming from and where we are going. What do you think of this? I'd really like to hear from you. God Bless!

Sponsored by Best Essay Writer - "A-writer.com" . Welcome to 6000years.org | Amazing Bible Discoveries | Proof the Bible is True Defending Noah and the Worldwide Flood - Mike Riddle Mt. Ararat The Bible says that around 4,400 years ago God sent a world-wide flood upon the earth and had a man named Noah build a large boat (Ark) to save his family and the animals. God gave Noah the exact dimensions of the Ark for two reasons: 1) Obviously Noah couldn't know how large it must be to hold all of the animals (no doubt small, young specimens), and importantly for us the second reason 2) So that future generations who found the Ark could verify the measurements so as to know it is one and the same boat. Many people believe that Noah's Ark should be up on Mt. Ararat in Eastern Turkey, and many have looked there over the years because they think the Bible says its on that mountain. But does it really?

Let's take a look at the Bible verse in question: ...the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." Gen 8:4 Ararat is the newer Armenian name of Urartu from the Hebrew Torah written by Moses (c. 1406-1446 BC) which only included the consonants "rrt". However, the translators of the Bible replaced the "rrt" with the later name, "Ararat" or "Armenia." The Assyrians wrote about battles against the Urartian tribes from the thirteenth century BC until the sixth century BC when Urartu was destroyed by the Medes. The name Urartu then vanished from history (until archaeologists re-discovered it in the 1800s) and was replaced by Ararat and Armenia in the vicinity as well as in English Bible translations, maps, etc. As history went on in the first and second millennia AD, the mountain became known as Ararat and the region as Armenia. Many people believe that Mount Ararat is the place where Noah's Ark landed but the Bible does not state this.

It simply says that the boat landed in the Urartian mountains, of which there are hundreds, although Ararat is the highest and is the only one with a permanent ice cap, which is around 17 square miles in size. Since Mount Ararat is the highest location in Urartu, some people in recent history have jumped to the conclusion that it was the landing place and promoted that concept as a regional tradition. It is quite possible that at the time of the Ark's landing, Mt. Ararat was still a baby volcano. So there is no special reason to think its on that mountain. The Ark in History In Flavius Josephus' time (1st-century A.D.) the Ark of Noah was well-known, because he mentions in Antiquities of the Jews. The famous Jewish historian stated, "Its remains are shown there by the inhabitants to this day." He quotes Berosus the Chaldean, c.

290 BC, who indicated tourists would take home pieces of the ark for making good-luck charms, "It is said there is still some part of this ship in Armenia, at the mountain of the Cordyaeans; and that some people carry off pieces of the bitumen, which they take away, and use chiefly as amulets for the averting of mischiefs." These comments tend to indicate its location would not be in an inaccessible area. At some point, the ark was covered by a mud and lava flow which caused future generations to lose its location. 1948 Discovery Noah's Ark was discovered in mid May of 1948 by a local Kurdish shepherd boy named Reshit Sarihan, who lives to this day (Sep. 2000), in the village of ï¿½zengili (previously called "Nasar" but changed to ï¿½zengili after the ark was discovered. - One should take note that "Nisir" was the Babylonian name for Noah's city).

Heavy rains in May of 1948, combined with three noteworthy earthquakes exposed the ark impression from the collapsing, expansive and loose mud that had entrapped it for nearly 2 thousand years revealing the ark impression standing up, out of the terrain. Objects containing inked drawings and etchings pertaining to the Flood account have been found near the Durupinar formation (Shea, October 1998) and large inscriptions have been discovered on the structure itself (Patt, May 2001). Aerial view is among the first ones taken eleven years after discovery, in 1959, and shows very little erosion, with hull shape intact. Courtesy of The photo at left shows the ark deeply embedded in the surrounding terrain, which is actually a mud flow. Mt. Cudi is shown high in the background, the initial landing place of the Ark. David Deal discovered a settlement above the site and another seeming-boat imprint there, which could be "The place of first descent" ('kHD' or Kurd) with the Durupinar site being the last one. Ark Landing Its believed the Ark actually landed higher up the mountain and has since slid down, probably more than once.

Here we see an artist's rendition, based on the evidence, and the shape of the mountain, precisely how the ark would have landed on Mt. Cudi pronounced "Judi" (the "mountain of the Kurds" "kHuD" meaning, in Hebrew, "the first." The slightly crescent shape of the island (mountain) keeps the ark from being washed around by fast currents. Courtesy of The Ark sits in a mud flow today. It originally came to rest higher on the mountain after the Flood. At some point in the first two thousand years of resting in the mountains of Ararat, the ark moved further down the mountain and became impaled on a rock outcropping where it rests today. The ark rests on Cesnakidag Mountain, which is interpreted as "Doomsday" Mountain. The Flood would be considered a real "doomsday" since it destroyed the world. The mountain is made of sedimentary cretaceous water laid rock, which means it was formed by the Flood waters and is not a post Flood formation. Ron Wyatt In 1977, Mr.

Ron Wyatt made his first of 24 trips to the ark, and he was impressed that this really was the remains of Noah's Ark. In the research he performed over the next 15 years, Mr. Wyatt successfully performed metal detection tests and subsurface radar scans of the site, and he proved this site really IS the mud-and-lava covered remains of Noah's Ark! The Turkish government has double-verified Mr. Wyatt's tests, and they have given him credit for the discovery. The announcement appeared in Turkey's largest newspaper on June 21, 1987. The area was first designated a National Park, and then it was upgraded to the status of a National Treasure. The government has built a visitors' center overlooking the site and issued official tourist brochures so people of all races can come and see the ark! As the discoverer, Mr. Wyatt was invited to the official ceremony by the Turkish government. Courtesy of This shows how Drogue Stones were used on ancient ships. Drogue stones were a feature of ancient ships, and were the ancient equivalent of a storm anchor.

They have been found in the Nile and elsewhere in the Mediterranean area, and like the stones found by Wyatt, they are heavy and flat with a hole for connecting a line at one end. Their purpose was to create drag in the water or along shallow sandy bottoms: the stone was attached to one end of a boat, and the drag produced would cause the bow or stern to face into the wind and the oncoming wind-blown waves. These anchor stones are found near the Ark site (a few kilometres), no doubt cut loose by Noah as he approached land. Top Points to Consider It is in the shape of a boat, with a pointed bow and rounded stern. Exact length as noted in biblical description, 515 feet or 300 Egyptian cubits. (Egyptian not Hebrew cubit would have been known to Moses who studied in Egypt then wrote Genesis.) It rests on a mountain in Eastern Turkey, matching the biblical account, "The ark rested . . . upon the mountains of Ararat" Genesis 8:4. (Ararat being the name of the ancient country Urartu which covered this region.) Contains petrified wood, as proven by lab analysis.

Contains high-tech metal alloy fittings, as proven by separate lab analyses paid for by Ron Wyatt, then performed later by Kevin Fisher. Aluminum metal and titanium metal was found in the fittings which are MAN-MADE metals! Vertical rib timbers on its sides, comprising the skeletal superstructure of a boat. Regular patterns of horizontal and vertical deck support beams are also seen on the deck of the ark. Occupied ancient village at the ark site at 6,500 ft. elevation matching Flavius Josephus' statement "Its remains are shown there by the inhabitants to this day." Dr. Bill Shea, archaeologist found an ancient pottery sherd within 20 yards of the ark which has a carving on it that depicts a bird, a fish, and a man with a hammer wearing a headdress that has the name "Noah" on it. In ancient times these items were created by the locals in the village to sell to visitors of the ark. The ark was a tourist attraction in ancient times and today. Recognized by Turkish Government as Noah's Ark National Park and a National Treasure. Official notice of its discovery appeared in the largest Turkish newspaper in 1987.

Visitors' center built by the government to accommodate tourists further confirms the importance of the site. Huge anchor stones were found near the ark and in the village Kazan, 15 miles away, which hung off the rear of the ark to steady its ride. The ark rests upon Cesnakidag (or Cudi Dagi) Mountain, which is translated as "Doomsday" Mountain. Dr. Salih Bayraktutan of Ataturk University stated, "It is a man made structure, and for sure it's Noah's Ark" Common Sense. This same article also states "The site is immediately below the mountain of Al Judi, named in the Qur'an as the resting place of the Ark." Houd Sura 11:44 Radar scans show a regular pattern of timbers inside the ark formation, revealing keels, keelsons, gunnels, bulkheads, animal chambers, ramp system, door in right front, two large barrels in the front 14' x 24', and an open center area for air flow to all three levels. The following are two chapters from "Old Earth, why not?" by James I. Nienhuis (genesisveracity.com) .

You can read the entire document by clicking here . Is Noahï¿½s Flood just a Fairytale? Hundreds of tribal groups are spread all over the globe. Their oral traditions and legends have been passed down from their ancestors through the generations. One legend is very common among the tribes, like this one from New Guinea: ï¿½Once a great flood came which covered the whole earth and wiped out everyone on earth except for the ancestors of the Biami people. Those ancestors climbed up into the Gobia Tree, the bark of which they make into string for their string bags. They took up into the tree their planting materials for crops, all their animals, their dogs and their pigs and every30 thing else necessary for life. As the floodwaters rose up on the face of the earth the people climbed further up the tree. They were safe in the branches of this tree because the tree grew up above the waters as the waters rose up. When the waters went down from the surface of the whole earth, the people were able to climb down the tree. The ground was very muddy, but eventually they planted their crops and their animals began to reproduce. They moved away from the tree and began to repopulate the earth.

Those who had climbed down out of the tree were the ancestors of the Samos, the Kubos, the Gobasis, and the Etoro.ï¿½ One ancient classic Chinese writing, called the Hikking, tells the story of Fuhi, whom the Chinese consider to be the father of their civilization. This history records that Fuhi, his wife, three sons and three daughters, escaped a great flood. He and his family were the only people left alive on earth. After the great flood they repopulated the world. An ancient temple in China has a wall painting that shows Fuhiï¿½s vessel in the raging flood waters. Dolphins are swimming around the boat and a dove with an olive branch in its beak is flying towards it. Over 270 tribes have been documented to be proponents of the notion that the whole world was once inundated by water. Here is one from the Greenlander tribe of Canada: ï¿½The world once overturned. Some people were turned into fiery spirits, all the rest drowned but one. Afterwards, the survivor smote the ground with his stick, a woman sprung out, and the two of them repopulated the world.

Proof of the flood is found in the form of sea fossils on high mountains.ï¿½ (Fossils of ocean creatures in the mountains will be explained in Chapter 9.) The details of the basic flood theme vary from tribe to tribe, but obviously, this story was passed down from ancestors who were knowledgeable of the same cataclysmic event, a flood of water unparalleled in human history. The ancient Assyrians knew of this flood: ï¿½The gods, led by Enlil, agreed to cleanse the earth of an overpopulated humanity, but Utnapishtim was warned by the god Ea in a dream. He and some craftsmen built a large boat (one acre in area, seven decks) in a week. He then loaded it with his family, the craftsmen, and ï¿½the seed of all living creaturesï¿½. The waters of the abyss rose up, and it stormed for six days. Even the gods were frightened by the floodï¿½s fury. Upon seeing all the people killed, the gods repented and wept. The waters covered everything but the top of the mountain Nisur, where the boat landed.

Seven days later, Utnapishtim released a dove, but it returned finding nowhere else to land. He next returned a sparrow, which also returned, and then a raven, which did not return. Thus he knew the waters had receded enough for the people to emerge. Utnapishtim made a sacrifice to the gods.ï¿½ No other legend pervades the lore of the worldï¿½s tribes as does the Great Flood. In Africa, the Pygmies (Central Africa), the Kikuyu (Kenya), the Yoruba (southwest Nigeria), the Mandingo (Ivory Coast) and the Kwaya (near Lake Victoria), among others, have ancestral knowledge of the Great Flood. In North America, the Eskimos and the Innuit (Alaska), the Yakima (Washington state), the Chippewa (Great Lakes), and the Choctaw (southeast U.S.), among others, have generational awareness of a global flood.

In Asia, the Kamchadale (Siberia), the Bahnar (Cochin China) and the Miatso (southern China), the Chingpa (Burma), and the Andaman (Bay of Bengal), among others, know by oral tradition of a cataclysmic flood event. In Europe; the early Greeks, Germans, Celtics, Vikings, and Welsh, among others, noted the Flood in their lore. In Central and South America, the Yaqui (northern Mexico), the Nahua (central Mexico), the Maya (Guatemala), the Ipurina (upper Amazon), and the Coroado (southern Brazil), among others, speak of a worldwide deluge in their ancient histories. In the Pacific Islands and Australia, the Kabadi (New Guinea), the Maori (New Zealand), the Mangaia (Cook Islands), the Gumaidj (northern Australia), and the Polynesian Hawaiians, among others, know the Big Flood.

In the Middle East, the Zoroastrians (Iran), the Egyptians, the ancient Babylonians (Iraq), the ancient Hittites (Turkey), and the Hebrews (Israel), among others, have recollections of an historical catastrophic deluge. The Hebrew report in the Bible (Genesis 6,7,8) of this world famous Great Flood is the most well known account: God was displeased with mankind, so He flooded the earth, killing all that were not on Noahï¿½s Ark. The waters flooded the earth for 150 days, then began to recede. The Ark landed in the Mountains of Ararat (Eastern Turkey), then, Noah sent out a raven that did not return. He then sent out a dove that returned with an olive twig. The next week he sent the dove out again it didnï¿½t return, so Noah figured it was to time disembark from the Ark. The Michoacan tribe of Mexico has a similar flood legend: ï¿½When the floodwaters began to rise, a man named Tezpi entered into a great vessel, taking with him his wife and children and diverse seeds and animals.

When the waters abated, the man sent out a vulture, but the bird found plenty of corpses to eat and didnï¿½t return. Other birds also flew away and didnï¿½t return. Finally, he sent out a hummingbird, which returned with a green bough in its beak.ï¿½ To perceive the Biblical Flood story as fantasy is to call the ancestors of these tribes liars. The politically correct mainstream scientist has a real dilemma here. It seems extremely unlikely that disparate people groups from around the globe, with no interest in copying each otherï¿½s heritages, would have similar legends of global destruction by water, unless of course, these tribes are actually recounting an historical event. Evidently, there is more to this Flood thing than most people realize. The Ark: Could Noah's Tale Be True? The Ark: Could Noah's Tale Be True? By Benjamin Radford, Live Science Contributor | March 28, 2014 09:18am ET MORE Mount Agri (also called Mount Ararat) is the highest mountain in Turkey, and some believe that Noah's Ark is there.

Credit: Mount Ararat photo via Shutterstock The new film "Noah" stars Russell Crowe as the man chosen by God to collect pairs of Earth's animals on a massive ark to save them from a global flood. The film, which opened March 28, is sizing up to be a Biblical blockbuster, replete with star power and stunning special effects. But how realistic is it? While many people consider the story of Noah's Ark merely an instructive myth or parable about God's punishment for man's wickedness, others believe that the story is historically accurate. To them, Noah's tale describes events that really happened only a few thousand years ago. A plausible ark? Henry Morris, author of "The Biblical Basis for Modern Science" (Baker House, 1984), a creationist text, states that "The ark was to be essentially a huge box designed essentially for stability in the waters of the Flood rather than for movement through the waters. ... The ark was taller than a normal three-story building and about one and a half times as long as a football field. The total volumetric capacity was equal to 1,396,000 cubic feet [39,500 cubic meters] ...

equivalent to 522 standard railroad stock cars, far more than enough space to carry two of every known kind of animal, living or extinct." [ Wipeout: History's Most Mysterious Extinctions ] The flaws in Morris's calculations become evident when you consider that, according to many creationists, Noah's Ark included hundreds of dinosaurs. That would mean, for example, the brachiosaurus (two of them, of course), each of which weighed about 50 tons and reached 85 feet (26 meters) long. Even if two representatives all of Earth's animals could somehow fit on the ark, enough space would be needed for drinking water and food for an entire year. Furthermore, contrary to many depictions of the ark, God actually asked Noah to collect not one but seven pairs of "clean" animals and one pair of "unclean" animals (Genesis 7:2-3) — resulting, in some cases, in fourteen of many animals. There simply would not be nearly enough space for all of them.

There's also the problem of collecting all those animals in the first place, anthropology professor Ken Feder notes in his book "The Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology" (Greenwood, 2010). "How would koala bears from Australia, llamas from South America and penguins from Antarctica have managed the trip to the ark's location in the Middle East?" Feder writes. "And how would their human caretakers have looked after this vast menagerie of animals? Noah, his wife, and his three sons and their wives (that's only eight people) providing food and water to the animals would have been an impossible task. What (or who) would the carnivores, living in close quarters with all those delicious herbivores, have eaten?" Since the ark's purpose was merely to float (and not necessarily go anywhere), it would have had no means of propulsion (such as a sail) or even steering.

According to Morris, "As far as navigation was concerned, God Himself evidently steered the ship, keeping its occupants reasonably comfortable inside while the storms and waves raged outside." [ History's 10 Most Overlooked Mysteries ] Of course, this rather begs the question, because if God created the global flood and divinely steered the ark, then presumably He could have done any other miracle to assure the success of Noah's mission, from temporarily shrinking all the animals to the size of rats or even allowing them all to live for a year without food or water. Once a supernatural miracle is invoked to explain one thing, it can be used to explain everything. A closer look Another problem with the Ark story arises becausethere is no evidence for a global flood. Creation stories from many different religions and cultures include flood stories, and Feder notes that if a worldwide flood had occurred, "The archaeological record of 5,000 years ago would be replete with Pompeii-style ruins — the remains of thousands of towns, villages and cities, all wiped out by flood waters, simultaneously. ...

It would appear that the near annihilation of the human race, if it happened, left no imprint on the archaeological record anywhere." The lack of physical evidence of the great flood hasn't stopped modern believers from searching for Noah's Ark itself. But the boat is conspicuously missing. It has never been found despite repeated claims to the contrary. Forty years ago, Violet M. Cummings, author of "Noah's Ark: Fable or Fact?" (Creation-Science Research Center, 1973) claimed that the Ark had been found on Mount Ararat in Turkey, exactly as described in Genesis 8:4, which states, "and on the 17th day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." In February 1993, CBS aired a two-hour primetime special titled, "The Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark." It included the riveting testimony of a man who claimed not only to have personally seen the Ark on Ararat, but also to have recovered a piece of it. The claims were later revealed to be a hoax .

In March 2006, researchers found a rock formation on Mount Ararat that resembled a huge ark, but nothing came of that claim. A few months later, a team of archaeologists from a Christian organization found yet another rock formation that might be Noah's Ark — not on Mt. Ararat but instead in the Elburz Mountains of Iran. That sensational discovery fizzled out, too. In 2012, "Baywatch" actress Donna D'Errico was injured on Mount Ararat while on a quest to find Noah's Ark . She said she had been inspired to search for the Ark ever since she saw a movie about it as a child. The fact that Noah's Ark has been " discovered" so many times yet remains lost is something of a mystery in itself. Whether "Noah" floats or sinks at the box office this weekend, it notably doesn't include the tagline "Based on a true story." Benjamin Radford is deputy editor of "Skeptical Inquirer" science magazine and author of six books including "The Martians Have Landed! A History of Media Panics and Hoaxes" (McFarland, 2011). His website is .

Editor's Recommendations Noah's Ark Noah's Ark Genesis 6-8 The descendants of Adam and Eve had become evil and wicked, and God was sorry He had ever created mankind. He decided the only thing to do was destroy them all and start over! But there was one man, Noah, who was obedient to God and found God's favor. Noah Builds an Ark God told Noah to bring a pair of every living animal into the ark to keep them alive during the flood. God told Noah to build a big boat, called an ark, and He told Noah exactly how to do it. The ark was to be 450 ft. (137 m) long, 75 ft. (23 m) wide and 45 ft. (14 m) high. It was to have three decks, be divided into rooms and have a door in the side. Noah was to find one male and one female of every kind of animal and bird and take them into the ark. He also had to take food for all those animals. It took Noah 120 years to build the ark and find all the animals to put in it, but Noah obeyed God and did just as he was told.

The Great Flood Noah was 600 years old by the time everything was ready. God told Noah to go into the ark with his wife, his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. Then it started to rain. It rained without stop for forty days and nights! The water got so deep that even the mountains were covered. Every living creature on earth died in the flood. But the ark floated on top of the flood waters and the people and animals in the ark were safe. Noah knew the dove had found dry land when it returned to him carrying an olive branch. Eventually, the water started to go down again, and the ark came to rest in the mountains of Ararat. After being on the ark about 11 months, Noah sent out a dove to see if it would find land, but it found no place to rest and returned to the ark. Seven days later, Noah sent the dove out again. This time it flew back carrying an olive leaf, and Noah knew it had found land. After a full year on the ark, God said to Noah, Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.

Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you – the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground – so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it. (NIV, Genesis 8:16-17) God Makes a Promise to Noah After leaving the ark, Noah built an altar and worshipped God. God was pleased with Noah, and He promised never again to destroy the earth with a flood. Then God placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of that promise. The descendants of Noah and his sons filled the whole earth with people again. Lessons Except for Noah and his family, all the people of the world were going about their evil and wicked ways. The earth was filled with violence. Mankind had lost sight of God and the way He wanted them to live together in harmony. God rewarded Noah for his righteousness, but He decided there was no choice but to destroy the wicked people of the earth. Similarly, those of us who love God and obey His commandments will be rewarded with eternal life, but God will not let that life be corrupted by evil people.

Those people who have shown themselves to be evil will be destroyed in hell ( Matthew 5:22 , 5:29-30 ). Jesus said His second coming will be very similar to the Great Flood. Referring to himself as "Son of Man," as he often did, Jesus said, When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming. (NLT, Matthew 24:37-42) Questions Did the Great Flood Really Happen, or Is it Just a Story with a Lesson? There are many ancient stories of a flood that are remarkably similar to the story of Noah and the ark as told in Genesis.

The names and places are different, but the story is similar. There are different opinions, but many people believe all these stories are based on some event that actually did happen sometime in the distant past. What Became of Noah's Ark? Mt. Ararat. The mountains of Ararat, where the ark came to a rest, are in the region of eastern Turkey, southern Armenia and western Iran. At 16,946 feet, Mt. Ararat, in eastern Turkey, is the tallest of these. Some people think Noah's ark landed there. A number of explorers have gone up this huge mountain looking for remains of the ark, but they have not found anything definite. Why Is Everything in the Bible Story of Noah Repeated Twice? Bible scholars believe the book of Genesis was made up of several different ancient versions of its stories. The two main versions are called the "Priestly" and "Yahwist" accounts. These two versions can be easily spotted in the original Hebrew language because of the different names used for God and the different styles of writing.

(The differences are lost when the story is translated into English.) The two sources are obvious in the story of Noah, where they are woven together and almost every detail is told twice. Sometimes there are differences between the two accounts as in Genesis 6:19 and Genesis 7:2 . 1000+ images about Ararat on Pinterest | Noah flood, 14th century and Armenia Mount Ararat - Turkey - where Noah's ark landed according to the book of Genesis. Genesis 8:4 See More

Question: On what Turkish mountain is Noah's ark often said to have landed?
Answer: Mount Ararat