Noah's Ark

"...and  on  the  seventeenth  day  of  the  seventh  month  the  ark  came  to  rest  on  the  mountains  of  Ararat."

Genesis 8:4

The account of Noah's Flood from the book of Genesis is one of the world's most well-known stories.  It has been made into several films and TV series and appears in many forms, from children's books to décor.  Over the years people have questioned the authenticity of the biblical account asking, "If the Flood really happened, where is the ark?"  After the Flood, the ark landed on the mountains of Ararat.  Many people have searched the mountains for it, with little success.

In 1959, a site roughly eighteen miles from Mt. Ararat was discovered by Turkish army Captain Llahn Durupinar while he was examining aerial photographs of the Ararat Mountain Range.   It had rock formations shaped somewhat like a boat that were 515 feet long.  Durupinar was familiar with the Biblical account of Noah's ark, and hoped to find it there.  In 1960, he led a group of Americans to the site, expecting to find artifacts unquestionably related to some sort of boat or vessel.  They did some excavation, and finding nothing definite, declared it purely a natural formation. 

In 1977, Ron Wyatt obtained official permission for himself and a small team to conduct more scientific research in the area.  The first step was to measure the hull-shaped formation and compare it to the Biblical measurements.  One end of the formation was pointed like a bow, and the other blunt like a stern.  It was 515 feet long from the supposed bow to the supposed stern.  This works out to be 300 cubits.  The average width of the formation was 50 cubits.  These are the measurements that are mentioned in the Bible.  They also found what appeared to be the ribs of the supposed hull curving up the inside of the formation.

Wyatt and his team also found many large stones with holes in the top of them surrounding the area.  They presumed these to be anchors which would have been suspended from the keel of the ark to prevent capsizing when it was hit with a large wave.  They excavated many other artifacts while they were there and made their discoveries public.  Since then, most of the archaeological world and many Creation scientists have denounced the site as purely a natural formation until a more thorough excavation can be performed. 

Whether or not the ark is found, we Christians can still depend on the accuracy of the Biblical account of the Flood.  Even if the ark is discovered, there will always be skeptics that will try to discount it.  Though archaeology may be used as a means of convincing unbelievers of Biblical accuracy, only God can truly change their hearts.  Our Christian faith does not hinge upon archaeological discovery, or lack thereof.

Written by Nathan Stenzel, April 3, 2014