| PRESS RELEASE Chattanooga , TN It is one of the world's most famous mountains: Mount Ararat . Archeologists, explorers, and adventurers have been fascinated for centuries by the tales of what is buried beneath the deep ice on the mysterious mountain. Many men have frozen to death on the icy slopes of the peak. Others have been devoured by wolves. All were lured, however, to the towering mountain by the same captivating proposition: The possibility of discovering Noah's Ark. Tennessee-based Biblical film producer Jeremy Wiles is the latest adventurer to attempt to climb to the summit of the 17,000-foot volcanic mountain. He went to Turkey to complete filming for an upcoming Christian documentary film entitled The Quest for Bible Treasures: Noah's Ark . Wiles, who was accompanied by two other men and an experienced Turkish guide, celebrated his 26th birthday in a remote Turkish town the night before his team started the arduous ascent. He received what he described as a good omen. While sitting during the evening on the balcony of a Turkish inn, which charged $4.50 per night for a room, a dove flew in and perched on a nearby wire. "There were no other birds flying in the nighttime sky except this solitary dove," said Wiles. "The dove remained perched next to us for several hours. All of us instantly thought about the dove released by Noah when the Ark approached land after the deluge ended. It was a good sign!," Wiles declared. The McDonald, TN resident has been fascinated by the story of the Great Flood, Noah's Ark and Mt. Ararat since he was a child. "I often imagined what it would be like to search for the Ark ," explained the film-maker. After graduating from Tarleton University in Texas , Wiles said he was faced with a choice between going into the corporate business world or pursuing his dreams of adventure. "I have to admit: Indiana Jones was one of my favorite movie series when I was a boy," he said. "I made the decision that I was going to search for Biblical treasures and make films about the quest." He chose Noah's Ark as the subject for his first film because the story is universally known. The account of the Great Flood is told in the Book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible. The Biblical story states that God had regretted creating the human race because evil, violence and bloodshed filled the whole world. Therefore, the Lord decided to "bring floodwaters on the Earth to destroy all life under the heavens." The Bible declares that God chose Noah and his family to replenish the planet. Noah was instructed to build a ship and fill it with every species on the Earth. The Bible says it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. Noah and his family remained in the ark for 150 days. According to Genesis, the ark came to rest in the "mountains of Ararat." According to Wiles, that is where ark hunters split in the debate over the whereabouts of the ark's remains if they still exist. "Many people assume the ark is on Mt. Ararat ," said Wiles. "But the Bible says mountains of Ararat. It could be anywhere in the mountain range," he explained. There have been numerous reported sightings of the ark buried beneath snow and ice on Mt. Ararat . The most famous rumor is known as the "CIA anomaly" which claims the spy agency has photographs of the ark locked in secret vaults. Despite the fact that no scientific evidence exists that the ark is resting upon the mountain, Wiles said the folklore of Mt. Ararat compelled him to climb the mountain to see for himself. "The film is about my quest for the ark," Wiles explained. "I'm not saying it is on the mountain. I'm simply making a movie about my search for it." Wiles spent months and thousands of dollars preparing for the adventure. He was accompanied by Indian cameraman Ashish Varghese and Donald MacKenzie, a Scot he met in Turkey during his first trip to Turkey last year. This was MacKenzie's 10th journey up the slopes of Ararat. Wiles hired an experience Turkish guide to lead the expedition up the towering volcanic peak. Ararat turns into snow and ice between the elevations of 14,000 feet and 17,000 feet. Wiles said he knew in advance that the last 3,000 feet would be extremely difficult and dangerous. The threat of danger was intensified when villagers living on the lower altitudes of the mountain told him that a climber froze to death last month near the summit, and that they also recently found the remains of a climber who was eaten by wolves. "That's when you realize this isn't a vacation trip," said Wiles. "A lot of people die on that mountain." Wiles said the climb was extremely arduous and that horses were able to carry some of the heavy camera gear for the expedition. "Together, we were carrying hundreds of pounds of hiking and camping gear, food, water, a generator, fuel, camping stoves, and video production gear," he said. "I know why the Turks call it Agri Dagi - 'mountain of pain." Wiles said he never felt danger during the trip until they reached 13,000 feet in altitude. "The weather quickly deteriorated," explained Wiles. "We were pounded by hail stones, sleet, snow and wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour. It lasted all night," he said. "You try to sleep, but it’s hard not to think about a boulder rolling down the mountain and crushing you." "I did a lot of praying that night. But then I remembered the dove. I knew God had given me a sign before I started the climb that we would be safe." A 90 minute television documentary will be release sometime in 2006 about Wiles’ two adventures to Turkey in search for Noah’s Ark. For more information: Visit www.TheQuestForBibleTreasures.com Contact: Jeremy Wiles (423) 255-9333 / Jeremy@thequestforbibletreasures.com |