The Quest For Bible Treasures

THE QUEST FOR BIBLE TREASURES: NOAH’S ARK

Hosted by
Jeremy Wiles

BACKGROUND

Ever since astronaut James Irwin led an expedition to Mount Ararat in Turkey in 1982, people around the world have been fascinated by the possibility that actual evidence of Noah’s Ark may be discovered. Unfortunately, Mr. Irwin was knocked unconscious when he tumbled down the 17,000-foot mountain. He returned to Mount Ararat in 1983, but a blizzard halted the expedition. Kurdish militiamen halted another expedition in 1985. Finally, Mr. Irwin was arrested by Turkish officials in 1986 when they accused him and the film crew of conducting espionage. Irwin never returned. The ark-hunting astronaut died of a heart attack in August 1991.

Irwin’s interest in Mount Ararat was spurred by what is known as the Ararat Anomaly: The claim that a wooden structure atop snowy Mount Ararat had been spotted and photographed by military pilots in 1949. The 600-foot anomaly was also photographed by two U.S. satellites in the 1970s. Irwin’s high profile as a moon-walking astronaut who wanted to discover Noah’s Ark generated enormous publicity and curiosity about Mount Ararat. In recent years, however, the Turkish government has rejected all requests for expeditions on Mount Ararat. Some people speculate that the CIA has installed high-tech surveillance posts on the mountain.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Explorers are driven by the mention in the Bible about the resting place of Noah’s Ark. That’s why all the expeditions have been focused on Mount Ararat in Turkey. But does the Bible say that Noah’s Ark is on Mount Ararat?

“And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” (Genesis 8:3-4)

Holy Scripture declares that the Ark rested “upon the mountains of Ararat.”

The word “mountains” refers to a mountain range – not a specific mountain. There is a specific mountain called Ararat. The Ark, however, rested somewhere in the mountains of Ararat. The key is to understand the origin of “Ararat.” According to Encyclopedia Britanica, it is the Hebrew equivalent of Urartu, an ancient country of southwest Asia that was mentioned in Assyrian sources from the early 13th century BC. The actual Mount Ararat was known as Agri Dagh.

Therefore, all of the previous expeditions have been aimed at the wrong location. Explorers such as James Irvin have assumed that the Ark must be upon Mount Ararat (Agri Dagh). Consequently they have failed to consider that it is resting somewhere in Urartu – the whole mountainous region of Eastern Turkey. The region borders Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Armenia.

WHAT DID JOSEPHUS WRITE?

Flavius Josephus, c. 90 AD, 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."

1960 LIFE MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Life Magazine published an article in the September 1960 issue that mentioned the discovery of a boat-shaped object near Mount Ararat. Here is an excerpt from Life Magazine’s 1960 article:

"While routinely examining aerial photos of his country, a Turkish army captain suddenly gaped at the picture shown above. There, on a mountain 20 miles south of Mt. Ararat, the biblical landfall of Noah's Ark, was a boat-shaped form about 500 feet long. The captain passed on the word. Soon an expedition including American scientists set out for the site.

At 7,000 feet, in the midst of crevasses and landslide debris, the explorers found a clear, grassy area shaped like a ship and rimmed with steep, packed-earth sides. Its dimensions are close to those given in Genesis: 'The length of the ark shall be 300 cubits, the breadth of it 50 cubits, and the height of it 30 cubits,' that is, 450x75x45 feet. A quick two-day survey revealed no sign that the object was man made. Yet a scientist in the group says nothing in nature could create such a symmetrical shape. A thorough excavation may be made another year to solve the mystery."

An expedition was launched in 1960. The site remained neglected, however, until an Biblical archeologist Ron Wyatt visited the site in 1977. Wyatt was convinced he had discovered the true resting place of Noah’s Ark. He made 24 trips to the Turkish site over the next 15 years. The Turkish government verified Wyatt’s findings. The government declared the site as the Noah’s Ark National Park and opened a visitors’ center near the location in 1987. Wyatt passed away in 2000. Since his death, there has not been a serious expedition to the site.

FALL 2004 EXPEDITION

The expedition will extend for a period of 30 days. Members of the team are from Sweden, Great Britain, and New Zealand. Some members of the team traveled with Ron Wyatt on previous visits to the site in Turkey.

Members of the expedition will meet in Istanbul on October 4, 2004. The team will travel over 900 miles to the desolate and rugged terrain of Eastern Turkey, near the borders of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Armenia.

PURPOSE OF EXPEDITION

The purpose of the expedition is to document on video the scientific evidence that the site is the true resting place of Noah’s Ark. The motivation is entirely for the glory of God. It is the hope and desire of the team to present evidence of Noah’s Flood to an unbelieving world to convince them that the Bible is true.

Ground penetrating radar was used over the site in past expeditions. These scans were conducted at 3ft, 10ft, and 15foot depths. While conducting the radar scans, the picture was emerging of a massive ship with chambers still evident; with one outside door which had a ramp system which led to each level; with long, massive timbers extending out from back of the ship, something which is still not understood.

It was discovered that the hull had a very large void down its center. A scientist on a previous expedition had made this determination in 1985 with his MFG, and now the radar confirmed it. The discovery of the void in the hull with the MFG proved its reliability.

An immense system of small chambers could be determined. There was a double section which extended along lengthwise, with other chambers along the walls - a walkway separated these.

A hole was drilled into one of the empty chambers and samples were removed for analysis and sent to an independent laboratory. One sample tested positive for animal hair. Petrified wood was also removed from the hole that was drilled.

Our plan is to insert a camera, which has been developed by expedition leader Ross Patterson and his partner, to film inside one of these voids, or empty rooms beneath the surface. Ross believes it is very likely that rib timbers, and baulk heads will be visible inside the room.

The expedition may also be accompanied by a team of geologist using a SuperSting R1/IP Resistivity Instrument. This instrument is used for locating and mapping underground objects and structures.

There would be no more speculation whether this is the site of Noah’s Ark upon reviewing pictures of visible timbers from the structure itself.

THE VIDEO

Bible Treasures Films has secured the video rights to this expedition. A 60-minute documentary will be produced about the effort to discover and scientifically document the existence of Noah’s Ark. The video will be the first in a series of Biblically-based documentary films. The series will be branded as The Quest for Bible Treasures. The first documentary, therefore, will be entitled: The Quest for Bible Treasures: Noah’s Ark.

For more information: Call Jeremy Wiles at (817)903-8759

Email: Jeremy@TheQuestForBibleTreasures.com

Website: www.TheQuestForBibleTreasures.com