THE RESULTS OF THE SUBSURFACE IMAGING PROJECT OF NOAH’S ARK

FIGURE 1. AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH OF AN OBJECT, SHAPED LIKE A SHIP, IN THE ARARAT MOUNTAINS, EASTERN TURKEY, 1959, (PHOTOGRAPH: LIFE MAGAZINE SEPT 5, 1960).

On September 11, 1959, while investigating 10000 aerial photos, Captain Ilhan Durupinar from the Turkish army, noticed an ark shape in one of the photographs, taken from above the Ararat Mountains in eastern Turkey, and which could not have been formed by nature (Fig. 1). After calculating the length and the width he concluded that the ark shape maybe was the remains of Noah’s ark. The area and the dimensions all matched those of the Ark.

As a result, an expedition was sent into the Ararat Mountains the following year, and the boat shaped object which had been identified in the aerial photograph, was located. The report of their findings was later published in Life magazine, on the 5th September 1960.

Having read the Life Magazine article in 1960, Ronald E. Wyatt, an anaesthetist from Tennessee, believed that the site required further investigation. During the 1980’s Ron Wyatt succeeded in scanning the structure with the use of ground penetrating radar, and other equipment.

Even although the depth penetration of radar is limited, the data from these scans, revealed what appeared to be vertical wall structures within the hull shape, with a symmetry and layout that Ron Wyatt believed was characteristic of a man-made object. (Fig. 2 and 3).

FIGURE 2. THE RESULTS OF THE RADAR SCANS (IMAGE COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE)

FIGURE 3. A RADAR PRINT OUT FROM ONE OF THE ARK SCANS
(PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE)

On one occasion, the radar equipment picked up what appeared to be a square shaped object within the ships remains. The specimen was dug up by the Turkish military at that time, and later analyzed by Galbraith Laboratories in the United States. The laboratory testing confirmed that the specimen contained organic carbon, indicating that the material was not rock, but was once composed of living material, consistent with petrified wood. (Fig. 4).

FIGURE 4. THE SPECIMEN OF MATERIAL, CONTAINING ORGANIC CARBON, RETRIEVED FROM THE ARK SITE. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE).

Ron Wyatt also found a metallic object next to the Ark, which had the shape of a large rivet, and was surrounded by what appeared to be an equally large metal washer. (Fig. 5). Part of the metal was tested by Teledyne Allvac laboratories in the United States, where the results showed it to contain a complex alloy of metals, including Aluminium. Aluminium is never found in its pure form, in nature, it is entirely a man-made metal.

FIGURE 5. THE RIVET SPECIMEN (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE).

Several metal detector surveys were carried out, on multiple trips to the Ark. By placing rocks at each location where metal was detected, and then joining these points up, using yellow tape, Ron found that the metal was distributed in a uniform grid like pattern. (Fig. 6). No metal was found in the ground, outside of the vessel.

FIGURE 6. TAPES SHOWING THE POSITIONS OF THE METAL READINGS. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE).

After studying the results of his work, Ron Wyatt concluded that the object was the remains of a ship, which exactly matched the Biblical description, and dimensions of Noah’s Ark. From the evidence which he had collected, Ron believed that this vessel had initially landed further up the hillside, and that at a later date, it had become engulfed in a mudslide, or a lava flow, which had carried the boat down the mountain, to where it is positioned now. Its progress down the mountain appeared to have been stopped by a large rock outcrop, which had impaled the right side of the boat, holding the vessel in position, where it then became buried by the mud, and was preserved.

In October 1990, Ron Wyatt accompanied by Richard Rives, attempted a mini excavation, using modified shovels, to gently scrape the outer surface of weathered material, away from the exposed ribs of the ship. (Fig 7). When that task was completed, the different colours of the newly exposed rib material, could be more clearly seen, contrasting against the darker soil matrix. (Fig 8.)

FIGURE 7. THE MINI EXCAVATION (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE).

FIGURE 8. THE RESULT OF THE MINI EXCAVATION, WITH THE LIGHTER COLOURED RIB MATERIAL, CONTRASTING AGAINST THE DARKER MUD MATRIX (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE).

The mini excavation site uncovered ten ribs in total within the scraped area. (Fig. 9).

FIGURE 9. PLAN OF THE RIB POSITIONS EXPOSED IN THE MINI EXCAVATION (IMAGE COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE).

Even today, these evenly spaced rib indentations along the sides of the ship, are still visible, especially towards the rear of the ship, where the picture below was taken. (Fig. 10). However the complete shape, and depth of the structure that lay beneath the ground, had until 2014, remained largely a mystery.

FIGURE 10. RIB INDENTATIONS (PHOTO JOHN LARSEN)

In late 2014, the Turkish government granted permission, to allow the site of this buried object, to be scanned using the latest deep penetration, resistivity ground imaging technique.

This is the first time that equipment with a deep enough penetration, (38 metres), and sufficient resolution, has been used on this site, to gain a true image of the complete three dimensional structure that remains beneath the ground.

Resistivity imaging is a technique that was developed during the 1920’s, for deep oil, and mineral exploration. More recently, new equipment has become available, with vastly improved resolution capabilities, to the extent where now it has become an effective tool in the field of archaeology.

The data obtained from a resistivity scan, contains hundreds of individual measurements of the resistance of the subsurface ground material, at different positions and depths, without the need for excavation. Because different materials have different electrical properties, any variations in the composition, or the structure of the ground, which appear within the scanned area, can be measured and seen on the images, which are compiled from all of the data that is collected.

The following images that are shown below, are the results of the resistivity data that was collected on the Noah’s Ark site in 2014. This first view is a side elevation of the entire length of the object, looking at the right side, and in this instance penetrating 34.8 metres, below the ground surface. (Fig. 11). The different colours in the image, display the variation in resistance throughout the ground, and show that the boat shaped outline of the hull that is seen above the ground, is three dimensional, and continues below the ground surface also.

FIGURE 11. THE RIGHT SIDE ELEVATION VIEW OF THE RESISTIVITY PROFILE (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

To give a reference point to this image, the line that is drawn on this same image below, identifies the position of the present day ground level, which lies on each side of the ship. (Fig. 12).

FIGURE 12. THE GROUND ELEVATION RELATIVE TO THE SCANNED BOAT SHAPED OBJECT
(IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

Looking at the hull shape in three dimensions, the resistivity images show that the front section, which lies beneath the ground, resembles the form of a ship, which is symmetrical, and with the shape of a deep hull design. (Fig.13 and 14).

FIGURE 13. A THREE DIMENSIONAL VIEW OF THE HULL SHAPE, LOOKING UPWARDS AT THE FRONT LEFT SECTION OF THE BOW. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

FIGURE 14. ANOTHER VIEW OF THE 3D IMAGE LOOKING UP AT THE FRONT LEFT OF THE SHIP, AND PLOTTED AGAINST A BLACK BACKGROUND. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

The boundary which distinguishes the outline of the hull shape from the surrounding material, is not a simple transition from just one material to another. If we look more closely at this boundary, a thin layer of material can be seen, (dark green), which is more resistive than either the material above, or below it (light blue). (Fig. 15). Further testing is required here, to determine exactly what the material is that is causing this abrupt variation in resistance, but something is present there, that is different from the other materials around it.

FIGURE 15. A CLOSE UP VIEW OF THE BACK OF THE VESSEL, WHICH SHOWS THE GREEN BOUNDARY LAYER, SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE MORE CONDUCTIVE BLUE MATERIAL ON EACH SIDE. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

The material of this layer, also has a different electrical resistance compared to the rock that penetrates the middle of the ship. Also, the hull shape that this dark green layer forms, does not follow the irregular outline of the rock, or appear to be influenced, or formed by it.

The Bible tells us that God commanded Noah to build three decks within the Ark.

“WITH LOWER, SECOND, AND THIRD STORIES SHALT THOU MAKE IT.” (GEN 6:16)

Resistivity imaging has the advantage that individual levels of resistance can be isolated, and viewed independently. When the resistance of the material that has the appearance of the inner decks of the ship is viewed separately, three distinct flat surfaces of material can be seen to exist within the hull shape, which extend across the width of the inside of the hull shape (Fig. 16).

FIGURE 16. A CROSS SECTION ALONG THE CENTRELINE OF THE SHIP, SHOWING THE MIDDLE AND UPPER FLAT DECK SURFACES WITHIN THE REAR SECTION OF THE HULL (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

The uppermost surface is seen as a layer of material with a thickness, of approximately 3.2 metres, which equals 6 cubits, in the ancient measurement system. The middle layer measures 4.7 metres in thickness, whilst the third and lowest flat surface, can be seen positioned at the bottom of the inside surface of the hull shape. (Fig. 17).

FIGURE 17. THE SAME IMAGE OF THE UPPER AND MIDDLE DECK FLOORS, WITH THE DECKS HIGHLIGHTED. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

Each of these three surfaces, are parallel to each other. They are also orientated in straight lines, and aligned with the same angle (approx. 12 degrees), which the hull shape now rests on.

These three flat surfaces, are consistent with what would be expected to be seen, if three decks existed within the hull of a ship, and the floor of each deck was composed of the same material as the inner framework inside the ship’s hull.

The material occupying the space between each of these deck floors, displays a different resistivity. Also the change in resistivity between the infilling material, and the material of the deck, is abrupt, and can be seen by the tightly packed contour lines of resistivity, which follow the boundaries between each of the deck layers, which are seen in these images.

At the end of the middle deck space, towards the rear of the vessel, can be seen what appears to be a vertical wall, which is orientated at exactly ninety degrees to the floor of the deck. The resistivity of the material composing these wall structures, is the same as that of the deck floors. (Fig. 18).

FIGURE 18. THE END WALL TOWARDS THE REAR OF THE VESSEL ON THE MIDDLE DECK, IS POSITIONED AT EXACTLY 90 DEGREES TO THE FLOOR.

When the resistivity image of the ship is viewed in three dimensions, the floors of the three flat deck layers can be seen to cover the full width of the vessel, and do not extend beyond of the edge of the hull outline.

No similar flat planar layers of material, have been found outside of the boat shape, even although the cross sectional scans, covered an area projecting 116 metres in width, and included the ground on each side of the vessel. These flat deck layers are unique, and are only found within this ship.

The Bible records the exact dimensions of the Ark, which God had commanded Noah to build:

“AND THIS IS THE FASHION WHICH THOU SHALT MAKE IT OF: THE LENGTH OF THE ARK SHALL BE THREE HUNDRED CUBITS, THE BREADTH OF IT FIFTY CUBITS, AND THE HEIGHT OF IT THIRTY CUBITS.” (GEN 6.15) 

The Biblical description of the size of the Ark, does not say whether these measurements are to be understood as either the internal, or external dimensions. However the internal cargo capacity was the most essential measurement, from a construction perspective, which Noah required.

The ancient cubit measurement, which Noah used in constructing the Ark, would almost certainly have been the same as that which was used by the civilizations which arose from the descendants of the survivors of the flood.
The ancient cubit has been identified as measuring 0.5235 metres (20.6 inches), and has been found to be the unit measure which was used in the construction of the pyramids in Egypt, and in Solomon’s palace in Israel. By converting the length of this ancient cubit, into metres, the dimensions of the Ark, would be as follows:

LENGTH: 300 CUBITS = 157 METRES (515.9 FEET)
BREADTH: 50 CUBITS = 26.2 METRES (85.7 FEET)
HEIGHT: 30 CUBITS = 15.7 METRES (51.6 FEET)

THE LENGTH = 300 CUBITS

From the survey data on the ground surface, the visible edge of the hull shape, from the stern, to the bow, measured 157 metres, (515.9 feet) (300 cubits). (Fig. 19).

FIGURE 19. THE LENGTH OF THE SHIP. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

This is also seen in the side elevation of the complete length of the ship, which is seen from the resistivity scan data. The scale shown on the horizontal axis on this image (x axis), also confirms that the length of this shape is a little less than 160 metres. When the inclined angle which the hull is resting on (approx. 12 degrees), is taken into account, the length of the hull shape comes to 157 metres, (Fig. 20).

FIGURE 20. THE LENGTH OF THE SHIP AS SEEN IN THE RESISTIVITY IMAGES. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

THE WIDTH = 50 CUBITS

An inspection of the sides of the hull, show that the rib indentations, which can be seen along the sides of the ship, lie on the outside of the rim of the hull shape. (Fig. 21 and 22).

This means that the total external size of the ship was much larger, and that the 157 metre (300 cubits) measurement of the hull length, is actually its internal dimension.

FIGURE 21. THE REAR VIEW OF THE SHIP. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

FIGURE 22. THE RIBS CAN BE SEEN HERE POSITIONED ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE RIM OF THE HULL SHAPE. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

The damage caused to the right side of the ship, by its impact with the rock outcrop, has distorted the right side, and caused the hull to bulge outwards. This makes the present shape of the ship, appear to be wider than it really is. (Fig. 23).

FIGURE 23. LOOKING AT THE REAR OF THE SHIP, SHOWS THE BULGE IN ITS RIGHT SIDE. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

The subsurface resistivity images of this area, revealed that the top part of the hull, on the right side, has broken away and separated from the main section of the ship, and also tipped outwards. Figure 24, shows a cross sectional image across the widest part of the hull shape. The intact section of the hull, which includes the left side, and centre of the vessel, can be seen here to be considerably more resistive, than the separated section of the right side. This would be expected, because in a timber ship, the amount of damage which the right side has sustained, would almost certainly have cracked the hulls structure in that area, making it more permeable to water, and increasing its conductivity.

FIGURE 24. THE BROKEN AWAY SECTION OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HULL IS SEPARATED FROM THE CENTRE AND LEFT SECTION. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

In Figure 25, the right side of the hull shape is shown repositioned, and moved back into its original place, where it again joins onto the main hull section, and is symmetrical to the left side.

Measuring across the width of the hulls internal cross section, between the inside surfaces of the hull in this reconstructed image, the measurement of the internal width of the hull shape, can be seen to be in the order of 26.2 metres (50 cubits).

FIGURE 25. THIS RECONSTRUCTED VIEW OF THE HULL, HAS MOVED THE BROKEN SECTION OF THE RIGHT SIDE, BACK INTO CONTACT WITH THE MAIN SECTION OF THE HULL. THIS GIVES AN INTERNAL WIDTH OF 26.2 METRES (50 CUBITS). (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

THE HEIGHT = 30 CUBITS

If the length (300 cubits), and width (50 cubits), are the internal dimensions of the Ark, then we should find that the measurement of its height, should also equal the vertical internal measurement, of the heights of each of the three decks combined.

Much of the roof of the upper deck of this vessel appears to have either collapsed, or been removed. However, portions of the central section still appear to be intact, especially towards the back of the ship.

In the resistivity image which shows the lengthwise cross section, close to the centreline of the ship, and the three deck levels, within the hull, the height of the lowest deck from the floor to the ceiling, measures 7.8 metres, which is exactly 15 ancient cubits. (Fig. 26).

The middle deck height does not extend as high as the lowest deck, and its floor to ceiling height is 4.7 metres. This is exactly 9 ancient cubits.
The uppermost deck has the lowest height, and measures 3.2 metres. This height is 6 ancient cubits.

The fact that the heights of each of the decks, matches a whole number of cubits is interesting, and provides another piece of evidence that this structure is manmade, and built at a time when this cubit measurement was used.

When the total combination of these three deck heights are added together, (3.2+4.7+7.8 metres), the total vertical internal deck space comes to exactly 15.7 metres, (30 cubits).

These measurements of the length, width and height of this hull shape, directly match the description given in Genesis 6.15, of the Ark. There has never been a timber vessel constructed on the earth, of these proportions, except the Ark which Noah constructed.

FIGURE 26. THE THREE INTERNAL HEIGHTS OF EACH DECK SPACE, WHEN ADDED TOGETHER EQUAL 15.7 METRES (30 CUBITS). (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

Early in Ron Wyatt’s investigation of this site, he had found what he believed to be the keel of the ship, embedded in the ground further up the mountain, where the ship had initially come to rest. He believed that when the ship had been caught in the mud, or lava flow, the bottom section of the vessel had remained firmly stuck in the ground, and the rest of the hull had been torn from it, and carried down the mountain, to where it is positioned today.

The central resistivity images that penetrated to the bottom of the hull, also show this bottom section of the hull shape is missing.

Towards the centre of the ship, a large area of high resistance also exists. When Ron Wyatt conducted his radar scans across this area, he concluded that a central corridor, with a length of 128 feet existed here, which appeared to be free from any wall structure. The same result can be seen here on the resistivity survey, which shows a large central area (purple colour), with a resistance high enough to possibly be an open cavity. The length of this area, measures approximately 40 metres on the resistivity scans. (Fig. 27).

The bottom edge of this cavity, is inclined on a 35 degree angle, relative to the decks of the ship, and slopes downwards, like a central stairway, where it connects the upper, middle and bottom decks.

Halfway down this stairway shaped area, at the same level as the floor of the middle deck, the angle of this stairway area flattens out, to the same angle as the middle deck floor, forming what appears to be a horizontal landing. The angle of the stairway shaped area’s floor then resumes, and descends down towards the floor of the bottom deck.

There are no other structures, or walls within the open cavity area, and its orientation is aligned perfectly, with the lengthwise direction of the ship.

FIGURE 27. THE INTERNAL AREA OF HIGH RESISTANCE (PURPLE COLOUR) (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

FIGURE 28. THE SLOPE OF THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THS AREA WHICH HAS THE APPEARANCE OF A CENTRAL STAIRWAY. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

On the inner side of the ship, equally spaced protrusions can be seen, which Ron Wyatt believed were a part of the ships structure that had collapsed, leaving the stumps of the timbers exposed. (Fig 29, 30 and 31).

FIGURE 29. RON WYATT STANDING IN FRONT OF THE INNER SIDE OF THE ARK, WITH TWO OF THE PROTRUSIONS ABOVE HIM (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE).

FIGURE 30. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PROTRUSIONS (PHOTO JOHN LARSEN)

FIGURE 31. RON WYATTS CONSTRUCTION OF HOW THE RIB AND JOISTS WERE ARRANGED. (IMAGE COURTESY OF THE RON WYATT ESTATE).

One of the cross-section resistivity scans that was achieved in 2014, was positioned directly over one of the ships ribs. The image from this scan, showed that an object of similar resistance to the rib material, (blue colour) was connected horizontally to the rib, and positioned exactly where the protrusion is seen inside the hull. (Fig. 32).

FIGURE 32. 2014 CROSS SECTION RESISTIVITY SCAN OVER ONE OF THESE PROTRUSIONS. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

The three dimensional resistivity images which were produced by the scans, show the shape and the profile of some of the ribs beneath the ground. (Fig 33).

FIGURE 33. A 3D RESISTIVITY IMAGE CUTTING THROUGH THE REAR OF THE SHIP, AND SHOWING THE SYMMETRICAL CURVATURE OF THE RIBS ON BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

The lower section of each rib, can be seen to have a semi-circular profile, to both its lower outer and inner surfaces. They are also tapered, with the thickness of the rib increasing in size towards the centreline of the ship, (Fig 34).

FIGURE 34. A VIEW OF ONE OF THE RIBS ON THE LEFT SIDE AT THE REAR OF THE HULL. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

In Figure 35, two circles (yellow), are superimposed over the contour lines which follow the rib profile, in order to highlight the semi-circular shape of the lower section of the Arks hull.

FIGURE 35. THE INNER AND OUTER SURFACE PROFILE OF THE RIB, IS SEMI-CIRCULAR. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

Figure 36 shows one of these ribs, towards the back of the ship. The thickness of the upright portion of this rib, measures 5.6 metres horizontally. Towards the centreline of the ship, where the size of each rib is at their greatest, the rib thickness increases to approximately 14 metres.

FIGURE 36. THE DIMENSIONS OF ONE OF THE RIBS TOWARDS THE BACK IF THE SHIP. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

The massive size of these timbers, must be kept in perspective with the overall size of the ship, which required just such a structure, to maintain the strength of the hull.

This semi-circular profile, has the unique feature in the fact that a circle is the shape that encloses the greatest area, with the smallest circumference. This means that the semi-circular hull design can produce the greatest displacement of water, (i.e. the greatest potential buoyancy), with the smallest surface area, and is known to achieve the smallest wetted surface area, of any shaped hull.

In modern ships, this type of lower profile is often combined with slightly steeper upper sides, as are seen in these images of the ribs. When this shape of hull is also accompanied with a fin type of keel, the result is a hull shape which possesses a very low centre of gravity, combined with a high angle of heel, which is the angle to which the hull can be tipped over to, before taking on water.

In the areas of the ship, where the hull has not been damaged, the same curvature of the ribs, is seen on both the left, and the right sides of the ship. (Fig 37, 38 and 39).

The material composing each rib is slightly more conductive on its outer surface, compared to further inside. This is exactly what would be expected to be found, when a material such as timber, is buried in mud, and begins to petrify.

The outer surface of the material, which is in direct contact with the mud, naturally begins to remineralize first. However the innermost section of the timber, being the most protected, is able to resist the advance of the petrification the longest. This variation in the level of petrification, will produce a difference in electrical conductivity throughout the timber, just as it is seen here.

FIGURE 37. THE RIBS ARE SYMMETRICAL ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES OF THE SHIP. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

FIGURE 38. A 3D VIEW OF THE RESISTIVITY IMAGE LOOKING INTO THE INSIDE OF THE HULL, ON ITS LEFT SIDE, THE CURVATURE OF THE RIB CAN BE SEEN ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE IMAGE. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

FIGURE 39. ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HULL, THIS 3D RESISTIVITY IMAGE LOOKS INTO THE INSIDE OF THE HULL. THE CURVATURE OF THE RIB, CAN BE SEEN IN THE CENTRE TO RIGHT SIDE OF THIS IMAGE. (IMAGE: JOHN LARSEN).

The results of this investigation, has found that this object in the Ararat Mountains, which has the shape of an immense ship, is composed of a material which has a completely different resistance, compared to the surrounding mud, or rock. Within this object, three flat layers which have the appearance of decks were observed, and the internal dimensions of the length, width and height of this ship, were found to be identical to the dimensions found in the Bible, which describe Noah’s Ark.

The three dimensional shape of this object, and the presence of petrified timber, and metal rivets within the hull, are not features which can be explained by natural rock erosion. Each of these pieces of evidence, point to this object as being man-made, and of ancient origin. In the history of the earth, the only ship of this size, which has ever been built from timber, and matches every feature which has been found on this site, is the Ark which God commanded Noah to build.

THE PRESENCE OF THE ARK PROVES THE YOUNG AGE OF THE EARTH.

The remains of the Ark, now sit at an elevation of approximately 2000 metres above sea level. Fossils of coral, and shellfish, as well as the marine sediments which cover not only the Ararat Mountains, but also the entire earth, testify to their burial by water. Conventional geological maps of Eastern Turkey, and geological reports, state that the sedimentary rocks and fossils found in the Ararat Mountains, date from the Eocene age. These same geological reports, also state that following the deposition of the sedimentary rocks and fossils, the sea level is believed to have continued to diminish in this area, until the early Miocene age, by which time any last trace of water had finally vanished. Since that time this area has never been submerged by water again.

But evolutionists claim that the earth is billions of years old, and that the early Miocene period when the last trace of the water which had covered the Ararat Mountains had finally vanished, was supposedly in the order of 20-24 million years ago. How can this age be true?

It would be a physical impossibility, for a ship the size of the Ark, to drift into the Ararat Mountains, and run aground, 2000 metres above the present elevation of sea level, without water being present. Yet the Ark is not millions of years old. The fossils and sediment on top of which the Ark came to rest, had to have been deposited by the same water, which carried the Ark into that area.

The only conclusion that can be made then, is that the Biblical account of the creation of the earth by God, and its inundation be a massive global sized flood, as it is described in the Bible, is correct. This would place the true age of the earth at around 6000 years, as the Bible teaches, and matches the evidence which is seen.

The Bible tells us that the flood came as a result of man’s corruption, and rebellion against God. The violence and evil that resulted on the earth at that time, finally reached a stage where God could wait no longer. By warning Noah to prepare the Ark, God provided a means for those who would turn away from their sin, to escape the coming deluge.

The Bible tells us these events will be repeated, as we near the time of Jesus Christ’s return.

“BUT AS THE DAYS OF NOE WERE, SO SHALL ALSO THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN BE. FOR AS IN THE DAYS THAT WERE BEFORE THE FLOOD THEY WERE EATING AND DRINKING, MARRYING AND GIVING IN MARRIAGE, UNTIL THE DAY THAT NOE ENTERED INTO THE ARK, AND KNEW NOT UNTIL THE FLOOD CAME, AND TOOK THEM ALL AWAY; SO SHALL ALSO THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN BE.” (MATT 24:37-39).

At the time of the flood, the Bible tells us that:

“GOD SAW THAT THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN WAS GREAT IN THE EARTH, AND THAT EVERY IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY.” (GEN 6:5)

Has the corruption of this earth then, yet reached to the same level as it was before the flood? Apart from the rise in wars, violence and crime within the earth, today the world is filled with religions which deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and reject His sacrifice for their sins. Within the “Christian” churches, the chief foundational doctrines of Baal worship, which existed during the Old Testament times, have infiltrated the churches, and replaced the Bible.

The pagan Baal religion centred on the worship of a Trinity “god”, which was both good and evil. During the Old Testament times, the nation of Israel stood out as the only nation which worshipped a singular God, and His Son (ref Proverbs 30:4) who were good only. Not one Old Testament prophet ever believed in the Trinity. God does not change, and The Bible tells us that:

“THERE IS ONE GOD, AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS; WHO GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL, TO BE TESTIFIED IN DUE TIME.” (1TIM 2:5-6).

The prophecies of the Bible tell us that there would be a “falling away”, before Jesus Christ returns. Over the centuries, the pagan doctrine of the Trinity, was given “christian” titles, and accepted by the fallen churches. At this time in the earth’s history nearly every so called “Christian” church has turned away from the God who created all things, and now openly declare that the “god” which they serve is the Trinity.

God commanded his people to rest upon the seventh day of each week, and to keep that day as a Sabbath, in order to commemorate God’s creation of the earth in six literal days, and His rest upon the seventh day. The Sabbath rest on the seventh day of the week, is the fourth commandment of the Ten Commandments, and was especially sanctified by God, to be kept holy.

In this time however, the level of iniquity within the churches has become so advanced, that now every church on this planet desecrates the seventh day, by their worship of the Trinity, or ignore the Sabbath completely, and sanctify the first day of the week (Sunday) instead, which was the day of worship for the Baal religion.

Truly the wickedness that existed before the flood during the days of Noah, is being repeated before our eyes today.

The discovery of Noah’s Ark, stands as a testimony to the accuracy of the Bible, which declares the patience and mercy of God, who will wait for as long as is possible, for people to turn from their sins and seek forgiveness. However, the flood of Noah’s time also points to the final judgment, when God will remove every last trace of sin and defilement from His creation forever. The Bible counsels each one of us to turn away from the sin that is in this world, before it is too late, and seek salvation through God’s own Son, Jesus Christ who has promised that:

“ALL THAT THE FATHER GIVETH ME SHALL COME TO ME; AND HIM THAT COMETH TO ME I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT.” (JOHN 6:37)

Please take the time to consider what Jesus Christ has done for each of us. Seek God’s mercy and kindness and turn away from all evil.

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VIDEO ADDED 8/5/21

Feb 25, 2021

Noah’s ark resistivity scans finally allow us to see the shape of the ark and that it extends another 40-plus feet into the earth! After the scans were completed in 2014, another several years worth of work was required to get software that could handle the massive amount of data and render 3 dimensional files. It has revealed massive ribs that connect to the hull exactly like a modern sea-going vessel. Three decks are visible as well as a massive opening into the middle deck of the ship which leads to a landing with pathways to the top and bottom deck. The damage to the ship as it slid down the mountainside resulted in one part of the hull completely broken away from the main body of the ship. This broad overview of the results of the scans is important to our understanding that this site is NOT a natural object. Coupled with all the other evidence, there is no doubt this is an ancient ship!

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AS AMAZING AS THE EVIDENCE OF THE ARK ITSELF IS, there is other supporting evidence that this is the location of Noah’s Ark was also found.  You can hear a little about that in this next video, as well as witness some of the testing that was done.  See the actual anchor stones and the 3D model of the Ark that Ron built.
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NOAH’S ARK FOUND BY RON WYATT | BEST VERSION Please like and subscribe and comment down below. Our Facebook:

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NOAH’S ARK- The Early Years

In Sept. 1960, 27 year old Ron Wyatt, along with thousands of other people, read an article in “Life” Magazine about a strange boat-shaped formation in the mountains of Ararat:

“NOAH”S ARK?

Boatlike form is seen near Ararat.

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.”

Ron’s Decision is Made

At that time, Ron determined that one day, he would visit the site and see for himself. But that was a dream he could scarcely realize any time soon. He had a 1 year 4 month old daughter, a 3 month old son, and within a year and a month, he would have another son. Working as a lab technician in the quality control lab at Hercules Powder Plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he was also attending Western Michigan University, studying pre-med. But soon, family matters forced him to give up his hopes of becoming a doctor and he moved to Kentucky in 1964 where he entered nursing school. He graduated in 1967, entered Anesthesia School and graduated as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist in 1970.

It was also in 1970 that he found himself raising his 3 young children alone. It didn’t look like there would ever be any opportunity for him to visit the strange boat-shaped site, so he had to limit his archaeological research to libraries and book stores. But he never lost interest- in fact, he studied everything concerning ancient history and archaeology, not just subjects concerning Noah’s Ark. He had found that there was very little information available on the subject of Noah’s Ark, which convinced Ron more than ever that no serious research had ever been undertaken on the subject. Everything he had read was based on folk-lore and unsubstantiated claims, and all claimed sightings were in different locations.

Move to Hawaii

From 1973 to 1975, he and the children lived in Hawaii, where he was able to study volcanoes first hand. This convinced him that if the ark had landed on the volcanic peak called Mt. Ararat, that it would have long ago been destroyed. Despite the fact that there are those who have written elaborate explanations of how the ark could have survived on the volcanic peak, within a few years, the eruption of Mount St. Helens would soon show that NOTHING could survive on a volcanic mountain such as Ararat. If the ark had ever been there, he concluded it would have long ago been destroyed.

“Building Mountains” in a Stream

Moving back to the mainland in 1975, he decided that there was one form of research that he could do- he built a small boat model the same ratio as the ark as stated in the Bible, and then he built various “mountain” configurations in a stream. By floating the model down the stream, he observed the boat’s reaction as it approached the various shaped “mountains”. What he learned was that when the boat approached a simple peak extending out of the water, it simply floated around it, not approaching it or certainly not landing on it. This was the “lateral displacement” of obstructed gas or liquid flow.

He continued this experiment with several shapes with the same result each time. That is, until he built a “crescent-shaped” formation with the crescent facing down-flow. When the boat accelerated around this “crescent-shape” mountain, he saw that it was pulled into the area within the crescent by the “eddy” effect, where it then gently floated within that area. With this bit of information, Ron felt like the ark would have had to have landed on such a location. The laws of hydrodynamics and water action and reaction were the same then and now. If the ark had approached a mountain peak extending out of the water, the water displacement around the mountain would have carried the ark with it.

Hydrodynamics

The study of water as a fluid, with its unique properties, and the study of hydrodynamics (fluid mechanics) and wave causation and motion is a most involved and complicated science. The actions and reactions of water and an object floating on that water cannot possibly be studied in depth here- but some simple rules must be understood. If your ship on the open sea approaches a mountain extending out of the ocean, only one of 2 things can happen. One, the ship will be carried around the mountain with the lateral water displacement. Or, two, the waves can be of such force and direction that they carry the ship right into the side of the mountain, with such force that the ship would break into pieces. But it would NOT come to rest on that steep mountain side. It just wouldn’t happen. And if that mountain peak were directly under the ship and the waters slowly descended, the ship STILL wouldn’t land on the mountain side (such as on Mt. Ararat). The water displacement and movement around the underwater mountain would still cause the ship to be removed from the mass (of the mountain) with the water.

The necessary criterea for a ship to land on a mountainside as sea waters descend would involve a process by which the water displacement would trap the ship within an area, such as an eddy could do. At least, that’s what Ron believed and stil believes.

The Size of the Ark

One of Ron’s favorite subjects of study was the ancient Egyptians as related to the Biblical account. While in Hawaii, he had read everything he could get his hands on in the library. And as he mulled all the information over in his mind, there was one thing that seemed to be obvious to him: He knew that Moses had been the author of the Genesis account and therefore the flood story- and as such, Ron believed that the cubit Moses would have known would have been the Royal Egyptian Cubit, the most universal standard of measurement in the ancient world at that time. There was no “Hebrew cubit” in existence during Moses’ time, and to Ron, the 500 foot measurement given in the “Life” article was even more compelling evidence that the site needed thorough exploration. After all, 300 Royal Egyptian Cubits equals 515 feet, not the 450 feet commonly accepted (and based on the future Hebrew cubit).

1975- “The Ark File”

It had now been 15 years since he had read that article, but his interest never waned- it only grew. And then he read the book, “The Ark File” by Rene Noorbergen who just happened to be a member of that 1960 expedition to the boat-shaped formation. Until this time, Ron had no more information on the boat-shaped object other than what he had read in “Life” Magazine, but now he knew the names of the very men who visited it. So, he contacted all but one of the American members of the expedition and asked them everything they could tell him. When he told them he wanted to visit the site, they all basicly told him he was crazy to do so. They were all adamant that nothing was there- that is, all except one man, Dr. Arthur Brandenburger, who still believed it was a ship.

He asked them how to get to the site- after all, “20 miles south of Mt. Ararat” is a pretty vague location in a region that is all mountains. But, no one could tell him exactly how to get there because they had ridden on horseback for hours to the site, being led by the Turkish military.

1977- to Turkey!

In 1977, for the first time, Ron felt like his children were old enough for him to either leave them alone at home or take them with him to Turkey. For the first time, he had 2 weeks of vacation. And for the first time, he had enough money to go to Turkey. It was now 17 years since he first read about the site. So, he told the children what he was about to do and to his dismay, the boys, Danny who had just turned 17, and Ronny who would be 16 in 2 months, insisted on going, too.

Torn about whether to take them or not, he did the only thing he knew to do- he said a little prayer that if the boys were supposed to go, that they would receive their passports in time, AND, that there would be seats available on the chartered flight to Istanbul from New York. He had been told that he had booked the last seat on the flight and when he called to check on availability, he was again told that none were available. It was now within a week of his departure date. But 2 days later, he received a call from the airline- it seemed that 2 seats had come open at the last minute and did he want them? There was still the matter of the boys getting their passports, a procedure which usually took several weeks. But in 3 days, Danny’s was back. And the next day, Ronny’s arrived. “Yes”, he wanted the seats.

But Where Is It?

On Aug. 9, 1977, they arrived in Istanbul. Things were a lot different then than they are today- they had to take a bus to Ankara, and then a train to Erzurum. This consumed 3 valuable days and they were still not in Dogubeyazit, the little town near the site. In Erzurum, they took a taxi to Dogubeyazit, directing their driver to take them to a hotel there. But Eastern Turkey is no thriving tourist area. It is remote and dangerous. Very few people speak English. How would they ever find the boat-shaped object when they got there? Many people may find Ron’s method of getting information strange, but again he did the only thing he knew to do- he prayed about it. He told the boys to say a prayer that the taxi would stall at the place where they were to begin looking. After all, their taxi driver spoke no English, they didn’t know if anyone in the town would speak English- and even if they did, would anyone know where this boat-shaped object was? It had been 17 years since the expedition had come there- perhaps the townspeople had forgotten all about it.

The Stalled Taxi

So, they all prayed- not some great elaborate prayer, but just short, silent prayers for help. To Ron’s way of thinking, if Noah’s Ark was real, then the rest of the Bible was surely just as reliable, including everything said about prayer. And as they approached the town, the taxi stalled.

Full of excitement at seeing their prayers answered, they all three climbed out of the taxi and piled a great number of rocks on the side of the road while the bewildered driver peered under his hood. When they all got back in the taxi, it started up and they continued on down the road. Soon, it stalled again. With a little bit less enthusiasm, they again piled up rocks on the roadside. Again, the taxi started up when they all got back in. Finally, it stalled again, and thinking that perhaps they had just gotten a defective taxi, they each placed one rock in a pile on the side of the road. This done, they headed to the hotel.

It was late when they arrived and as soon as they checked into the Erzurum Hotel in Dogubeyazit, they all fell asleep, completely exhausted from their long journey. The next morning, they got another taxi and headed back to the third and closest pile of rocks, where they began walking in a perpendicular line from the road.

DAY 1- The Anchor Stones

They soon came to a small village where several very intimidating men approached them, one with a shotgun. Communicating in “sign language”, Ron convinced the men that they were just tourists, and the villagers appointed themselves their tour guides. Walking over miles and miles of rugged terrain, one of the men motioned for Ron to take his photo by a very large standing rock. Only when he looked through the viewfinder did Ron realize that this “rock” was identical to the anchor stones found in the Mediterranean Sea that he had seen in archaeological books. That is except for one thing- this “rock” was many, many times larger! When he examined it more closely, he saw that it had 8 crosses carved on it. When the villagers saw Ron’s interest in this, they showed him several more in the area- all exactly like other ancient anchor stones except many, many, times larger- and all with crosses carved on them (all but one had 8 crosses.)

They were all terribly excited by what they had seen, but the boat-shaped object was no where in sight. As they continued to walk, they showed Ron and the boys a very ancient grave-yard which had strange “monuments” in it which looked like simple representations of a 3 story boat. Were these things connected to Noah’s Ark? Ron believed they were. So, he photographed and filmed everything with his 8mm movie camera (no video cameras back then!) and they decided to head back to the hotel for the night.

DAY 2- The House and Fences

The next morning, they returned to the 2nd pile of rocks and began to walk perpendicular to the road again. This pile wasn’t too far from the first and they soon found themselves looking at the walls of a very, very old stone house whose floor seemed to be set about 4 feet into the ground. The roof was gone and it was apparent that no one had lived here for a great number of years. Radiating out from the house was a very large pattern of stone fences which seemed to go on for miles. These, too, seemed to be covered by several feet of dirt with only their top few feet extending above the earth.

The “Tombstones”

The most interesting feature of this site was what was in the front yard- there were 2 large stones, one setting upright and one lying flat on the ground. Carved on these stones were a most exciting picture: across the top of each was an arc-shape; below this was a curly-cue which looked like an ocean wave, and atop it was a very simple boat-shape; walking away from this boat and wave were 8 people- the first and the largest was a man; next and second largest was a woman; the next 3 were all the same size and all smaller than the largest woman, and they were men; and the last 3 and the smallest, were 3 women. It seemed quite obvious to Ron that these were iconographic representations of the 8 survivors of the flood, all walking away from the ship with a rainbow overhead. But what did it all mean? When he studied these 2 large monuments more closely, he noted that on the one lying on the ground, the largest woman (the one representing Noah’s wife) had her eyes closed and her head tilted downward. On the larger one which was still standing, he saw that BOTH the 1st woman AND the 1st man (Noah) had their eyes closed and heads tilted downward. Since these were in front of the house, he believed they were the actual tombstones of Noah and his wife. The iconography showed that FIRST his wife died, and on her stone, only HER eyes were closed. When Noah died, BOTH of them were represented as dead.

The things Ron and the boys had found these first 2 days were extremely important, Ron felt. While they didn’t prove anything about the boat-shaped object, they were clear indications that a family of 8 people had lived in this precise area at some very remote time in antiquity. The 8-cross design on the anchor stones showed that someone during the Christian era had identified these huge rocks with the ark and its 8 passengers.

The Fences- Evidence of Noah’s “Husbandry”

The ancient house- was it Noah’s? They only had one morning to examine everything pertaining to the house, but the thick walls and the vast pattern of stone fences was pretty compelling evidence. The Bible gives reference to Noah being a “husbandman”: GEN 9:20 And NOAH BEGAN TO BE AN HUSBANDMAN, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

This passage tells that Noah was in a tent, not a house such as Ron had found. But Ron learned that the inhabitants of this region, as in other pastoral societies, still live in tents in the summer and in thick stoned houses in the winter. This seems perfectly consistent with the mention of a vineyard, which would have yielded its fruits in the warmer season

Noah was a “Husbandman”

“Husbandry” is defined as “farming, as of livestock” (Random House Dictionary). After the flood, it makes perfect sense that Noah bred the animals and cared for them until the point in time that their numbers were sufficient enough to eliminate the likelihood of their becoming extinct. With only 2 of each unclean animal, if even one should not survive, that animal would become extinct. And the extremely large pattern of stone fences radiating out from the house, and extending on for a good distance seemed consistent with this type of activity. The depth below the present ground level of the house and fences shows their great antiquity. Over the years, windblown dust and dirt raised the ground level, thus burying or partially burying ancient surface structures.

What Noah Wore

In the previous Scripture, we also included the entire passage which tells about Noah’s getting drunk and having his “nakedness” seen by Ham- we included this because of one tiny point: The pictographs on the “tomb-stones” in front of the house show the men wearing a type of tunic. This is entirely consistent with Noah’s nakedness being seen when he got drunk- if he had had on pants or slacks like men wear today, he would have remained covered, no matter how he “sprawled out” in his drunkenness. But with a tunic (like a dress), this would not be the case.

The Giant Altar and Its Complex

The house is located in an incredibly beautiful plain which runs east/west. To the north and south are mountains. Unlike our country, everything is rock in this region. And especially in this isolated area, except for the village where the anchor stones were located, all that could be seen were rocks, rocks and more rocks.

But when Ron and the boys looked behind the house to the north, they saw a very beautiful mountain ridge- directly behind the house, this ridge had 2 small hills which met and formed a valley in between them on the side of this ridge. And right in the middle of this mountainside valley, Ron saw a VERY large squarish rock which looked as if it had been purposely set in its location. Behind this large rock, the valley formed a natural amphitheater. On the side of this very large rock was a complex of small fenced in areas. If this was really Noah’s house, this certainly looked like a very large altar with room for a large number of people to sit behind it as the sacrifices were made.

GEN 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

The altar itself measures 12′ x 12′ x 12′ and it has one step- when we stood upon it, it was obvious that whoever stood upon this altar was quite a bit taller than we are, for the step is about 3 feet high.

The complex of pens adjacent to the altar also indicates that whoever arranged the rocks in this pattern was very, very strong, because today many of the large rocks could not possibly be moved by humans without mechanical assistance. At one point, a very large boulder is balanced upon several upright stones, forming a covered area that a 6 foot tall man can walk under without stooping.

Also in this complex are 2 very large stones which display features which indicate that they were used for the slaughter and bleeding of animals. (Gen. 9:4) One is consistent with the size of smaller animals like sheep and goats; the other, much larger, is consistent with the size of larger animals, such as bullocks. They both have a series of chiselled-out indentions leading from the ground to the flattened, slightly angled top. These “indentions” are the size that is consistent with animal hooves- perhaps the animals were led up the side of these rocks to the tops, which also contain chiselled out basins with drains, which are consistent with areas for bleeding the animals prior to offering them on the large altar stone. According to the Biblical account, specific parts of the animal were offered as sacrifice, then other parts were cooked and eaten “before the Lord”. (See Leviticus, chapters 1-9.)

DAY 3- the “Boat-Shaped Object”
Ron filmed and photographed everything. There is actually much more than we have listed here, but these are the most important items. At the end of day 2, they had seen more than enough to make the trip worthwhile. The next day would be their last.

Arising the next morning, the boys were tired and stayed in the room. They had traversed across a great number of miles in the previous 2 days and Ron knew they needed a break. So he got a taxi and returned to the 1st pile of rocks. They had worked their way backwards from the 3rd pile to the first. And this one was quite a distance from the others. This time, Ron had the taxi drive as far as he could go in the direction that was perpendicular to this rock-pile. They travelled up into the mountain range to the south, as far as there was a dirt road. When it ended, Ron began to walk.

With mountains everywhere, he wondered if he would ever be able to spot the boat-shaped object if he looked right at it- but soon, he saw it. And what he saw convinced him more than ever that this object was the remains of a ship. But, what he saw also convinced him that there was only one way to explore its true nature, and that was by an excavation to remove the soil which covered it.

A Terrifying Experience

He returned to the room and they packed. He checked out that night so they could leave early in the morning- but that proved to be a big mistake. In 1977, there weren’t any tourists to speak of in this region. It is desolate and very foreboding. The Kurdish villagers had been watching Ron and the boys, waiting to make their move. As long as they were staying in the hotel, they were spending money- paying taxis and guides. But these bandits wanted it all, and as soon as they realized they were about to leave, they attacked.

It’s a long story, but to summarize it, Ron and the boys heard them coming up the steps banging pipes and making a lot of noise. Shoving the furniture in front of the door, they tied the bed sheets together and climbed out their 3rd story window onto a roof below. There, they climbed back into the 2nd floor window which led into the kitchen, and they ran through the hotel and out the door. In the commotion, they lost almost all of their film. Ron did manage to hang on to some of the movie film. Once they were safely out of town, they realized how truly dangerous the region was. The boys would never go there again- and after all they went through, they would never see the “boat shaped object” in person.

Back at Home

Ron had gone to Turkey for one reason- his own personal curiosity. What he saw there fueled his resolve to investigate the site more thoroughly, but as a private individual, he had no idea where to start. He knew the site needed to be excavated, but how could someone like himself get permission to do so? And how could he interest important scholars and archaeologists in the site when most people believed that if the ark existed at all, it had to be on Mt. Ararat?

Dr. William Shea

In 1978, Ron learned of another man who was interested in the boat shaped object- a man who is an MD and an archaeologist- Dr. Bill Shea of the Biblical Research Institute in Silver Spring, MD. In Nov. of 1978, Ron made contact with Dr. Shea, who had written an article about the site in Sept.1976. He, too, believed that the site should be thoroughly investigated, and when comparing the boat-shaped object to the current thought that the ark HAD to have landed on Mt. Ararat, wrote:

“To conclude, one might put these two sites in perspective by reflecting upon what would have happened had this formation been found on Agri Dagh [Mt. Ararat]. I may be wrong, but I suspect that news of it [the boat shaped formation] probably would have been heralded far and wide as the discovery of the site where the Ark had rested. What a difference a mountain makes.” (CREATION RESEARCH SOCIETY QUARTERLY, Vol. 13, Sept. 1976, “The Ark-Shaped Formation in the Tendurek Mountains of Eastern Turkey”, by Dr. William H. Shea.)

Dr. Shea also believed that the Royal Egyptian Cubit was used in giving the measurements of the ark, as he stated in the same article:

“Assuming a Mosaic authorship for these measurements probably would indicate that they were given in terms of the Egyptian cubit of 20.6 inches rather than the shorter Mesopotamian cubit.”

After Ron and Dr. Shea communicated and Ron shared his information from the Aug. 1977 trip with him, Dr. Shea began to apply to the Turkish government for permission to excavate. The reply was negative. As far as Ron was concerned, there was nothing else he could do. So he waited. For what, he didn’t know.

Astounding News!

In 1978, Ron decided not to return to Turkey- instead, he and the boys went to Egypt to research the Red Sea crossing site. Perhaps Dr. Shea could one day get the permission they so desperately wanted. But then, in late Dec., 1978, Ron heard a news report of an earthquake in eastern Turkey. As he watched the news, his heart pounded- HE couldn’t excavate, but perhaps “nature’s” God had done what he couldn’t!

1979- Return to Turkey

He had to patiently bide his time until his next 2 week vacation came in August. And on Aug. 11, 1979, he arrived the second time in Istanbul and headed for the site. This time, the boys didn’t go. Ron wasn’t going to take any more chances with his young sons safety, but he did take an Armenian preacher from California who spoke Turkish.

When they arrived at the site, Ron just wasn’t prepared for the spectacular sight his eyes beheld- the earthquake (which injured no one) had dropped the earth around the object and there on the mountainside Ron saw what looked like a giant shipwreck! Evenly spaced indentations could be seen all the way around the object, which looked like decaying rib timbers. The earthquake had also cracked the object from “stem to stern” and Ron was able to take samples from deep within. He also took samples of material outside of the object for comparison.

He measured the object and got a 512 foot length- but, he saw what looked like a section about 1 yard long that was broken off from the lower end. This was positive evidence in Ron’s eyes: 300 Royal Egyptian cubits were 515 feet- this object was 512 feet with a 3 foot section broken off of the lower end- a total of 515 FEET!

He again visited the anchor stones and the graveyard which had the strange monuments which Ron believed were representative of the Ark and its 8 passengers. It was a short trip, but Ron had gotten accomplished more than he had hoped for. The next step was to have the samples analyzed.

The First Laboratory Analyses

He had to get back home and return to work immediately, so it was October before he managed to get the samples to Galbraith Labs in Knoxville, Tennessee. This sort of testing was and still is expensive, so he only had each sample tested for a basic mineral analysis. But that was enough for a start- the sample outside the formation showed a 1.88% carbon content; but the one from inside the crack yielded a 4.95% carbon content, an amount that was consistent with the presence of prior living matter, such as decayed or petrified wood. It also showed a surprisingly high iron content. It was another positive evidence- but again, Ron found himself at a standstill. What next? Applications to excavate were still made, but each time with negative results. Ron was in for an even longer wait this time. But in the meantime, Ron decided to make all the information available to anyone who was interested.

“Noah’s Ark Found”

Looking back, the evidence might not have seemed as convincing to others as Ron thought it surely would have been. After all, he had been there twice, he had seen the wonderful evidences which spoke of 8 survivors of the ark from that very region. But when he wrote it all up in a booklet called “Noah’s Ark Found”, not everyone accepted the evidences as overwhelming.

Ron told the story of his 2 trips to Turkey, what he saw, filmed and photographed, and he printed the lab analyses and told about the tombstones he believed marked the sites of Noah and his wife’s graves. He explained about the Royal Egyptian Cubit, which, considering the length of the boat shaped object, he felt was overwhelming evidence. He gave these to anyone who was interested, hoping to gain interest and support from others who might want to help. But the fact of the matter was that this wasn’t enough. In fact, this little booklet would one day be responsible for the theft and destruction of one of the most incredible evidences- but it was a lesson Ron would have to learn the hard way. Meanwhile, he had no real idea what he could do to further his research.

White’s Electronics Metal Detectors

Since all his investigation would have to be non-destructive, Ron checked into the possibility of getting a metal detector to test for the possibility of evenly spaced metal readings. He called White’s Electronics in Sweet Home, Oregon and shared with them his project. They listened to his proposal and found it to be a worthy and legitamite research project, and shipped him their top 2 model metal detectors, which Ron hoped to be able to use on the site.

Jim Irwin

In 1983, he read an article about Col. James Irwin, the Apollo 15 astronaut, and how he was actively involved in searching for the ark on Mt. Ararat. Ron called him and shared with him the information he had on the boat shaped object. Col. Irwin was extremely gracious, and said he was interested. Ron drove out to Colorado and met with him at his office. Jim was interested in seeing the site and offered Ron any help he could give him. Jim was taking an expedition to climb Mt. Ararat in August of 1984, so he and Ron decided to travel together so that Ron could show him the site. They arrived in Istanbul on August 19, 1984 and proceeded to Ankara.

August 1984

In Ankara, Jim met with Kasim Gulek and his wife- Dr. Gulek is the only man still alive who served as a cabinet member in Ataturk’s government and he is a very influential man. Ron accompanied Jim to their home and this proved to be a very valuable meeting. Here, Ron met several people who would soon become very important to Ron’s work: Orhan Baser and Mine Unler, both who would become governmental liaisons between Ron and the Turkish government. Ron was essentially no one of importance and would have had a difficult time meeting these people on his own. But through Jim’s kind help, Ron’s efforts were about to make an impact.

The First Metal Detector Scans

They spent the night at the Guleks and the next day they went to Dogubeyazit. Ron took Jim and several members of his group to the boat shaped object. At that time, he employed the metal detectors on the site- Orhan Baser had secured permission for him to do so. Jim was present when Ron and other members of the group used the 2 metal detectors along the sides and atop the entire length of the boat shaped object.

The results were a pattern of linear readings which showed an organized grid of metal within the object. Along the sides, they got readings every 9 feet. It was completely outside of the realm of possibility for this pattern to be natural. In a video-taped interview with Ron, Jim stated:

“Yeah, we got some real positive readings, didn’t we, as we went up and down the long direction of the formation….The spacing made it appear like, very much like it was, you know, a man-made object.” (Portions of this interview can be seen in our video documentary, “Discovered- Noah’s Ark”)

Jim wasn’t convinced it was the ark, but he knew it had to be something man-made. He was dedicated to searching on Mt. Ararat, and he and Ron agreed that this was an absolutely necessary part of the whole picture. If the boat shaped object WAS the Ark, there were many who wouldn’t accept it until the possibility of it being on Mt. Ararat had been ruled out. There was no “competition” between Ron and Jim, although there are those who would like you to believe there was. Jim was one person that Ron felt he could trust- a gentleman and a man of his word. And he helped Ron immensely.

Interest in the Site Begins to Grow

After Ron and Jim visited the site and did the first metal detector scans, the word spread among the other “ark-hunters” who had gathered in the hotel lobby, and when they returned, another group expressed the desire to visit it, too. This was a group headed by Marv Steffins and included Bulant Atalay and their helicopter pilot, “Whatcha” McCullum. Ron went with them after lunch and they were thrilled to death when they saw the results of the metal detector scans. It seemed as if Ron had found some allies, but it didn’t quite turn out that way.

An Unfortunate “Almost” Altercation

It was also at this time that another well-known “ark hunter” with very impressive credentials, heard about all the interest in the boat shaped object while in the hotel lobby. Ron told all the other ark hunters about the equipment White’s Electronics had provided him and offered its use to anyone present- perhaps a naive thing to do, but nonetheless, its what he did. At that point, this well-known ark hunter stood up and in a VERY loud voice told Ron, “YOU CAN’T USE METAL DETECTORS IN TURKEY!”, a ploy obviously designed to have the metal detectors confiscated by local authorities. And while this isn’t something I’m happy to write about, it happened- Ron took this man by the collar and told him in no uncertain terms that if he did not keep his mouth shut, he would hit him.The man only replied to Ron, “YOU’RE CRAZY!” to which Ron then replied, “I’M NOT CRAZY ENOUGH TO LET YOU DO WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO DO.” Ron, as well as the ark hunter, both knew that even with permission from Ankara, the locals could still confiscate the equipment, and by the time Ron was able to get back in touch with Ankara, it would be too late to use it.

It was an unpleasant and unfortunate thing to happen, but it did- and the man never said another word about it. In fact, he later even asked to go to the site, which Ron thought was strange since this man had already stated that he had “investigated” the site thoroughly on 2 occasions.

There was no more trouble from him that trip, but this man let it be known that he would do anything from that time on to discredit the site- and that is exactly what he has tried to do.

More Specimens are Taken

Ron took numerous samples of material from the site as his liaison, Orhan Baser had secured permission for him to do so- Ron wasn’t going to jeopardize anything by not getting the proper permission. Marv Steffins did the same, only without securing permission.

Later that trip, Ron and Orhan decided to scour the region above the boat shaped object for any other evidences that the Ark was known to be in the region.

Evidence that the Ark Landed Further Up the Mountain
Quite a ways up the mountainside, Ron and Orhan came to a site which contained the remains of a very ancient stone building. Since nothing else was around, it appeared to be perhaps a travellers’ station or something of that type.

Close by, Ron found something VERY interesting- it was a section of earth that Ron measured to be 120 feet by 40 feet, which was rimmed by what appeared to be petrified wood, and within its perimeter was a massive amount of strange looking “rock”. This “rock” was quite heavy and tinged green in places, and therefore Ron believed it to be some type of metal. He had an idea as to what the wood perimeter was but perhaps a lab analysis of the “rock” material would help confirm his idea.

Ark Carried Down in Lava Flow

Since the boat shaped object is located in a mud-flow which contains remnants of volcanic rock, Ron believed this mud-flow was actually a deteriorated lava flow. The boat shaped object looked exactly like a ship wreck, but it was impaled on a very large outcropping of limestone directly through from the western side to its mid-section. To Ron, it looked as if the ship had been transported down the mountainside by the lava flow (which covered the ship) and, sliding sideways, it was impaled on this large outcropping of limestone which caused it to be “racked”, exactly like a car that it literally wrapped around a telephone pole.

Ron suspected that the 120 X 40 foot section above the site was actually a portion of the bottom of the ship which had sunk into the mud as the flood waters subsided. When the earth was dried, this section was firmly embedded in the ground, and as the ark was swept down the mountainside, this portion was ripped away. The strange looking “rock” he found within this perimeter was very similar in appearance to “rock” he found just below the lower section of the ship- the broken off section.

He theorized that this was ballast material placed in the hull of the Ark, and when the portion of the bottom was ripped off, a large amount of ballast fell out. Other ballast which remained in the intact portion of the ark was now falling out from the broken off lower section. Ron and Orhan kept this information to themselves.

A Stele Depicting Noah’s Ark

As they proceeded up the mountainside to the top of the ridge near the Iranian border, they found the broken remains of an ancient stele which was being used in a more recent structure. The broken pieces were quite large and most were exposed which allowed Ron to photograph them for later piecing together.

This stele contained numerous inscriptions in what looked like 3 different forms of writing. One segment was particularly legible- this was a scene depicting the unique ridge just above the site, a mountain peak in the background, a ship with 8 faces in it, and 2 ravens (one flying above the ship and one above the mountain.)

The rest of the inscription featured several animals. But the importance of the stele was that the shape of the boat was almost identical to the 1950s aerial photo of the boat-shaped object. The 8 faces within the boat needed little explanation. But most importantly, this stele was just beyond the site where Ron had found the 120 x 40 foot section he believed to be a portion of the bottom of the ship. He would study the inscription more later, but for now, it appeared to him that it was marking the location of the original landfall of the ark.

Ron’s 1980 Booklet

It was this trip when Ron brought numerous copies of the little booklet he had published in 1980, “Noah’s Ark Found”, and handed them out to all those interested in the site. Within a few months, he would regret having done this.

A Surprise in Athens

Finally, it was time to leave. Ron got on his flight in Istanbul and headed to Athens, Greece, where he was to pick up his international flight to the US. But a strange series of events was about to take place. As he was waiting in the airport, he got a New York Times newspaper and read an article that nearly knocked him off his feet. He had been accused of taking artifacts illegally out of Turkey! The story told how Marv Steffins (who had promised to keep a low profile about the site) had gone to Ankara, produced some “wood” specimens, called a news conference and proclaimed that Noah’s Ark had been found! Since he had not obtained permission to take any samples, his were confiscated, and he told the authorities that Ron Wyatt had also taken illegal samples, even though Ron did have permission.

Imprisoned in Saudi Earlier that Year

In the years since 1978, Ron and the boys had been working in Egypt and Israel. When they found the chariot parts in the Red Sea, they then knew that Mt. Sinai was across the Gulf of Aqaba in Saudi Arabia. For over 4 years, Ron had tried to get a visa into Saudi, but when it seemed impossible, he and the boys decided to enter illegally. Before he left on that trip in December of 1983, he told 2 people what they planned to do. One of those people was Jim Irwin. The other was an “ark-hunter”. Soon after they arrived at Jebel el Lawz, they were imprisoned for 78 days, accused of being Israeli spies, and didn’t arrive back in the US until April 18, 1984.

Ron was becoming acutely aware that his archaeological work was not without danger. But it was becoing VERY apparent that the danger was from those whom he thought were friends. It was an “ark hunter” who called the Saudis and told them the Wyatts were Israeli spies. It was an “ark hunter” who told the Turkish authorities that Ron had taken illegal artifacts out of the country. But in both cases, the end result would be that each site was taken VERY seriously by its own government.

Vindication of All Charges

It was a long flight home for Ron. He knew that the penalties for taking artifacts were stiff and he knew that all he could do when he arrived in New York was turn himself in. So, when he arrived, his first call was to the Turkish Consulate. He explained the situation- that Orhan Baser had obtained permission for him to take the samples- and he offered to turn them over to the Turkish authorities.

That afternoon, 3 men from the Consulate came to Ron’s hotel room, examined the specimens, and then told him to keep them. They had checked out Ron’s story and found he was telling the truth. But Ted Koeppel didn’t know that and accused Ron on Nightline of being a thief. It was not a pleasant situation. Ron called his own news conference and told his story. The Turkish government issued a statement clearing him of all charges, however, Ted Koeppel neglected to mention this on a later broadcast.

Again, it all turned out for good. A reporter from the United Nations Observer and International Report did an article on Ron and his work on the site, which was published in the January 1985 issue. Until this time, Ron had no allies other than Dr. Shea. He hoped that now, help would be forthcoming. But the Marv Steffins incident proved to be the mold for the future pattern- Mr. Steffins told the press HE had discovered Noah’s Ark. No mention of Ron’s efforts were ever made other than the fact that Ron had taken “illegal artifacts”.

Meanwhile, back in Turkey, all the “bad press” combined with the positive results of Ron’s investigations had led to the Turks taking a serious interest in the site.

Analyses of the New Specimens

This time, Ron had been able to get a good selection of specimens. And again, he went to Galbraith for the analyses. This time, the results were spectacular- one specimen that Ron believed to be the remains of a metal fitting of some type, proved to contain 8.08% iron, 11.55% ferric oxide, 11.45% alumina and 6.06% aluminum.

Samples Sent to Jim Irwin

Ron sent some samples to Jim Irwin who had offered to send them to a laboratory he worked with for analysis. One of those specimens was of the strange “rock” Ron had obtained from the 120 x 40 foot area above the ark’s present site. Jim sent some of the specimens to Los Alamos National Laboratories, the very high-profile government facility in New Mexico.

October 1984- Turkish Scientists

After the “Marv Steffins incident”, an official with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Kafji (not sure of spelling) appointed several Turkish scientists to go to Dogubeyazit and check out the boat-shaped object. When Ron became aware of this, he felt it was imperative that they have the use of a high tech metal detector so that they could check the metal readings for themselves. Ron returned in October of 1984 and contacted one of the liaisons he had met on the last trip, Mine Unler, who arranged for him to obtain proper permission to again use the metal detectors. He also arranged to loan the Turkish scientists one of his White Metal Detectors.

He again took numerous specimens (with permission) and continued metal detector scans. He later learned that the Turkish scientists had indeed gotten the same results with their metal detector surveys and were convinced that this was a fossilized boat. Finally, PROGRESS!

3rd Set of Analyses

Returning home, Ron again had analyses run on his samples. This time he had brought a sample of what he believed was the ballast material. This analysis showed that the material wasn’t just a rock- in fact, it proved to be 84.14% manganese dioxide. But, it didn’t contain the other minerals present in the other samples which was very significant, since it came from the same location. Ron believed that a ship the size and proportions of Noah’s Ark would have HAD to have had ballast in its hull. And this strange “rock” was heavy and in large chunks, perfect for use as ballast. But what exactly was it?

Evidence of Pre-Flood Metal Production

It gave the superficial appearance of being tailings (waste product) of some type of metal production. When a chemist with Reynolds Aluminum examined the specimen, he said without qualification that it WAS metal production tailings, or waste product. The lab analysis confirmed that it could not be something natural.

One “ark hunter” in attempting to explain away the evidences, attacked these specimens by claiming that they are nothing more than what are called “manganese nodules”, which are found on the sea-floor in the Pacific. However, they do NOT meet the criteria of these nodules. According to common scientific knowledge, the manganese nodules found on the ocean floor are known to average about 2 inches in diameter, significantly smaller than these massive “chunks” of ballast material, some of which are 10 inches or more in size. In addition, the nodules found on the ocean floor average containing 35% manganese, with 50% being considered the highest percentage amount of manganese. The ballast material contains over 84%!!! Also, the manganese nodules on the sea floor contain nickel and cobalt, which is not found in the ballast material, which was thoroughly tested for mineral content. No, there is no doubt that these specimens are not naturally occurring.

Many people accused Ron of having too vivid an imagination- they claimed that he just “imagined” that these evidences were actually present. But as time would pass, the reality of the evidences would soon necessitate that these folks come up with much better “excuses”- because the facts would soon attract more “higher academic interest”, as Tom Jarriel would one day state on “2O/2O”.

He had been able to get more specimens from the site that he believed were from metal structures, and again took control samples for comparison. This time 3 of the samples he thought were metal showed high metal content- 19.97%, 12.30% and 11.55% Ferric oxide; 8.08%, 13.97% and 8.60% iron. Yet, the control samples showed .77% ferric oxide and .54% iron. If Noah had built a ship of the size specified in the Bible, it made perfect sense to expect that he used metal in attaching the timbers together. After all, in Genesis, we learn that metal production was a science long before the time of the flood:

GEN 4:22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

A Big Problem for the “Experts”

With all of the evidence thus far, the “ark hunters” who had dedicated their efforts to finding the ark ON Mt. Ararat were getting very frustrated and peeved with the attention given the site on what is called locally, “Doomsday Mountain”. It was time for “damage control”, to try and discredit the site as much as possible. And, if they couldn’t discredit the site, they would discredit the man. Ron became very unpopular.

The Mountains of Ararat

Dr. Bill Shea had already noted that, in his opinion, if the “ark-shaped object” had been found on Mt. Ararat, he felt sure that it “would have been heralded far and wide as the discovery of the site where the Ark had rested.” Since Mt. Ararat was the highest mountain in the region, the so-called experts had already determined that THAT was the only place the ark was to be found. Yet, the Bible is so clear in the fact that it came to rest in the “mountains” of Ararat- “mountains”, plural…

GEN 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

The next verse goes on to state that even after the ark had come to rest, the tops (plural) of the mountains couldn’t yet be seen until almost 3 months later. Remember Ron’s experiment with the miniature mountain configurations in a stream with a small boat model? The little boat simple zipped past a solitary peak extending out of the water- but when it approached a crescent shaped configuration, the hydraulic action of the water eddy formed within this caused the little boat to be sucked into the space within the crescent shape. If, at the time the ark “rested” in the “mountains of Ararat”, the tops were not even visible, the only explanation he could visualize was that it came to rest within a group of mountains that formed a similar crescent shape- even though they were underwater, the water action still drew the ship into such a protected area. And this is an entirely reasonable concept- we are all probably familiar somewhat with the dangers of rip tides and other water currents caused by underwater terrain which definitely affects the water action on the surface.

The present location of the site fits this description perfectly- it was located at 6,300 feet above sea level in a mountain valley surrounded by higher mountains on 3 sides.

“I Found Noah’s Ark”

A pattern began in 1984 that would continue until the present time- almost everyone that Ron would take to the site and who SAW and UNDERSTOOD the tremendous evidence, would beat a fast track to Ankara to explain to the Turks that THEY were actually the “discoverer” of Noah’s Ark. Steffins was the first- for a while, he attempted to raise money to work on the site, never mentioning the efforts of Ron. The artist was the second one. The Turkish files show that he told their ministry that it was HE who actually showed Ron the site and that HE deserved to be recognized as the true “discoverer”. Even Ron didn’t discover the site, he was just the first person to really dedicate his efforts to proving it WAS the ark.

But his efforts were beginning to pay off- Turkey was now taking an official interest in the site. Meanwhile, the “Ararat ark hunters” got busy working on stories that would place a large lake in the region of the “boat-shaped object”, or digging up “myths” that people in antiquity built either a large ship in the region, or a replica of the ark. It’s strange how these stories never surfaced until this time. In time, a story would be fabricated that this site was actually the remains of an ancient fortress- a fortress built at the foot of a mountain valley with hills surrounding it on 3 sides which would have allowed attackers to simply fire down upon the hapless inhabitants of the fortress like sitting ducks. We still laugh about that one.

Others who had more impressive “credentials” were satisfied to state simply that they had “examined” the site thoroughly and found that it was simply an unusual geologic formation. Some have stated that this was only one of many “boat-shaped” objects in the area, and insisted that it was only a “obstructed flow formation. However, in “obstructed flow” formations the pointed end it always “down-flow”, or at the low end- the complete opposite of this site.

But to Ron, the bottom line was always this- if this site did indeed contain the remains of the ark as he believed, God was certainly capable of making it known. With that thought in mind, Ron was at peace. If the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the TRUE GOD, and if He had created the universe and destroyed the old earth by a flood, then He was certainly capable of preserving enough evidence to prove whatever it was He wanted to prove. But would He provide enough evidence to convince the entire world? Well, even those who saw Christ perform miracles with their own eyes, crucified Him. Some people will never believe “even if one came back from the dead”.

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spacer Sacrificial Altar of Noah’s family after the flood.  Amazinghope.net

Evidence for Man’s 1st Home in Turkey

The Evidence- Man’s First Home in Turkey

Photo Credit: Stone of Noah’s Family / Pinterest

It all began in Turkey- here was where mankind was reborn so to speak. Remnants of the numerous and varied nations which all were “born” when they were divided by the confounding of the language, can still be found here: “Turkey has so many archaeological sites that no one has yet been able to count them. An educated estimate is that there are some 40,000, ranging from scattered burials to the magnificent remains of sumptuous cities. As the land bridge between Asia and Europe, Anatolia [Turkey] has witnessed a unique procession of peoples and civilizations. In this varied landscape one finds Neolithic settlement and Bronze Age cities, and, in a continuous chronology, the mingled artifacts of the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Phrygians, the Lydians, the Ionian Greeks, the Persians, the Armenians, the Hellenistic Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Seljuks, the Frankish Crusaders, and the Ottoman Turks. The great majority of sites are in unpoliced rural areas, many of them only recently opened up by the building of roads.” (PP, p. 56.)

The Fertility of the “Ararat Plain”

The area where the ark came to rest was in a mountain range just a few miles south of the Araxes Valley or Ararat Plain (PH, p. 35). The Aras (Araxes) River runs through this valley, beginning in Erzurum, Turkey, (west of Noah’s home), and traveling east it then forms part of the Turkish- Russian and Turkish-Iranian border. The 2 volcanic Ararat mountains arose in this plain and can be seen from the site of the ark as arising abruptly from the green, fertile valley. This area possesses a “special fertility” (PH p. 35) which is indicative of the special provisions God made for the first family in reestablishing life on the planet. In 1989, Ron photographed a roadside vegetable stand in the area near the ark where a local farmer was selling his cabbages- the largest we have ever seen anywhere! (See photo at right).

Plant Foods from Seeds Brought on the Ark

Before Noah and his family entered the ark, after he was told by God to take 2 of every unclean animal and 7 pairs of every clean animal, he was further instructed:

GEN 6:21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

This indicates that all of the food for both the people and the animals was plant-life; food products that could be gathered and would last throughout the entire time they were in the ark. And from this food they would have had seeds, even if they didn’t bring seeds with them (which I suspect they did). When they left the ark, they began to sow the seeds that would produce food. And the archaeological excavations reveal evidence which fit this scenario perfectly. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I read the following concerning the evidences found in eastern and central Turkey: “Paleo-botany had provided evidence illuminating the earliest stages of the cultivation of emmer and einkorn wheat and two-row barley, with subsequent mutations resulting in improved strains; but still the problem of the ultimate geographical sources of the wild grains found in the earliest excavated settlements awaits solution,…” (PH, p. 4). “Even more important than the different varieties of timber available for building were the species of edible plants. Of these of course the most important are the cereals, but also the most problematic because of the unsolved questions of the origins.” (PH, p. 10). It was in Anatolia (Turkey) that many plants were “reborn”- planted there by Noah and his family from seeds brought there from before the flood,- and from there, carried to the various parts of the world: “Anatolia is situated at the meeting of three principle zones of distribution of plants: these are the so-called Euro-Siberian zone (Europe, Russian and Siberia), the Irano-Turanian zone (the steppes of central Asia, Iran and central Anatolia) and the Mediterranean zone…. Recent work has shown a large percentage of plants which are endemic, that is, confined to Turkey: this is particularly true of the Taurus ranges, where the Irano-Turanian and the Mediterranean botanical zones meet.” (PH pp. 9, 10). This last quote is especially exciting for it tells us that in the general region of south central Turkey, there is a large number of plants that are found ONLY there! Well, what does that mean? It indicates that some of the original plants Noah brought from the pre-flood world never made it past the region of Babel. When the time came that the groups left the area, it looks like they only took with them the major grains and staple plant foods leaving behind a variety of plants whose beginnings were in the pre-flood world.Noah Even Planted Fruits Which Today STILL Grow in the Cold Climate

Not only did Noah and his family have grain foods- they had fruits, which is rather amazing considering the climate of the northeastern part of Turkey. To this day, Turkey has fruits which thrive in spite of it’s cold climate: “…apples, plums, apricots, peaches and mulberries are common in the eastern highlands, including the districts round Lake Van, where they are hardy enough to survive the severe winters” (PH, p. 10). Remember Noah’s vineyard?: GEN 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:.Yet, vineyards are usually found in warm climates, certainly not in regions with such dreadfully cold winters as eastern Turkey. But,: “The vine is a hardy plant at home in much of Anatolia, Trans-Caucasia and the Urmia basin, the grape-bearing type being vitis vinifera,…” (PH, p. 11). To sum up the evidences, the earliest found specimens and forms of many, many food plants are found in the ancient settlements extending outward from the area of the ark and Ron’s site for Babel in south central Turkey. Turkey even has some plants today which are found no where else on earth. How can these things be explained? There is no explanation except for the Genesis account.

The Advanced Technical Knowledge of Noah and His Family

The first people to inhabit the earth after the flood, Noah and his immediate family, were NOT primitive- they possessed the vast knowledge of the pre-flood world. However, the world was barren just after the flood. The only materials they would have had AT FIRST to work with would have been the things that they brought with them on the ark. They may have even “cannabalized” parts of the ark until the trees had time to grow large enough to use for timber, and they found natural sources for metals and substances with which to fashion tools, such as obsidian.

One of the most exciting discoveries for Ron when he was working on Noah’s Ark was the large amount of metal he found in the remains of the ship. (See our video “Discovered- Noah’s Ark” for detailed information and analyses.) He believes that the material used for the ballast, which is a type of slag or waste product of metal production, was the slag which resulted from the production of the metal fittings of the ark. Since it was handy and heavy, it just made sense that they would use it for the ballast. But Ron believes there was a further reason why this was used. After the flood, Noah and his family would have needed metal to make implements for farming and tools. But until they found natural sources of the various metals, Ron believes they used the metals from the ballast and perhaps even some of the metal fittings and objects on the ark to make their implements. Of course, this theory would only be worthy of consideration if evidence was found of metal-making in the area…
Earliest Site of Metal Working- Just a Few Miles from Noah’s Home!

A few miles from the site of the ark, in the Araxes Valley, is a vast complex of extremely ancient stone fences radiating outward from an ancient stone house. Behind this complex (to the north) is a very ancient stone altar located upon a ridge between 2 hills. In front of this house Ron found 2 tombstones which indicated that they were marking the graves of Noah and his wife, and therefore we believe this was Noah’s home. Just across the dirt road (to the south) is the village in which a large number of the anchor stones with crosses carved on them stand. On the north side of the ridge of hills that contains the altar is the Araxes River and across the river is the site of Metsamor. Here, within a few miles of Noah’s home, is what has been termed “one of”, if not “THE” oldest metallurgical site ever found! Analyses of copper found there showed 14 different alloys, including tin, lead, antimony and zinc. (PH, p. 70).The sophistication of this metal-working center has fascinated archaeologists as this site is termed, “indeed unique in its complexity and long life”. (PH, p.68.) This metallurgy center is quite sophisticated. “Clay pipes inserted in the furnaces for use with bellows were also found. Likewise of this first phase at Metsamor are phosphorus brickettes:… Phosphorus was used in the smelting of cassiterite to obtain tin.” (PH, p. 68.)
Earliest Bronze-Making and Glass-Making

Archaeological sites are excavated to discover the sequence of materials- those found directly above the virgin soil with nothing below them represent the earliest occupation level. At Metsamor, the earliest phase yielded bronze slag, (PH, p. 68) a discovery which continues to puzzle archaeologists as they believe man progressed very slowly through the various stages of knowledge – first the discovery of fire, then the invention of the wheel, then cultivating crops and domesticating animals, and then much later, knowledge of metals and metallurgy. Yet here is evidence that man appeared “on the scene” with tremendous technological knowledge, producing an alloy (bronze) which requires tin and sometimes includes zinc for increased hardness.

And not only did they produce sophisticated metals here, they produced GLASS! “Glass making also flourished at Metsamor, as indicated by six types of metallurgical material, including zinc and manganese, alloyed in different ways to make different colours.” (PH, p. 110). Remember Ron’s theory about the ballast and metal objects from the ark? Several large ballast samples from the hull of the ark that Ron had tested showed over 85% manganese!
Earliest Rivets

Ron has documented the use of very large rivets on the ark. It seems reasonable to expect that Noah and his sons would have passed the usage of rivets on to their descendants, and that is exactly what the evidence shows. At Amiranis-Gora, north of the area of the ark, a cemetery revealed pottery with “knobs along the top of the shoulder…(that) seem to imitate rivets.” (PH, p. 67).

But should there be any doubt, another very puzzling group of artifacts came to light in 1974 and 1975. A Turkish antiquities dealer brought the objects to the Adana (Turkey) Museum, giving first one and then another explanation of their origin. While their exact origin isn’t known, it is known that he obtained them in the region and that they date to very near the third or early second millennia BC. Included in this group of artifacts are numerous copper knives, swords, chisels and axes. One interesting feature is that 2 of the swords are almost 36 inches long, “…which would have been difficult to wield with one hand”.( AS, vol xli, p. 185). But the feature that interests us now is the fact that these have been dated to very early times by the archaeologists, and used RIVETS to attach the handle! In fact, all of the knives used rivets.

As Noah’s Family Grew, They Expanded Their Settlements Throughout the Araxes Valley (Ararat Plain)

As we discussed earlier, we must take certain things into account as we look for evidences. As Noah’s family grew, (but before they had left for Babel), and as the animal population grew, there would be the need to expand and establish settlements at some distance from one another. Abraham and Lot had to separate because the land couldn’t accommodate all their herds: GEN 13:7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle:… 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. This passage tells only of 2 families having to distance themselves from each other to provide enough pasturage for their animals. Certainly, as Noah’s family grew, they would also face the same situation and need to expand. To illustrate the importance and vital necessity of land to these earliest of peoples, there is the example of the Aryans who invaded India at a much later date- “…They wanted land, and pasture for their cattle; their word for war said nothing about national honor, but simply meant `a desire for more cows.’.” (OH, p. 397.)

As we explained earlier, the Ararat Plain, or Araxes Valley is about 80 to 90 miles long, beginning a little west of Mt. Ararat and extending through present-day Iran into the USSR. After careful study, we believe the evidence shows that this valley was the general area that Noah’s family expanded throughout, and since the ark (the region of Noah’s home) is in the region of the western portion of this plain, the direction of general expansion would have been to the east.

Abraham’s Family Lived in the Area Just South of Babel

Just as some food for thought- the Bible records that the rebellious against God migrated west. What did those who remained faithful do? Did they migrate to the east? Or did they remain in the area? The next Biblical event in Genesis is the selection of Abram (Abraham) to be the father of the chosen people, and we discover that he is living in Ur of the Chaldees (called “Urfa” today), which is within 100 miles of Babel. Given the call to go to Canaan, he and his family set out, stopping in Haran (Harran) about 35 miles south of Ur, where Terah dies. The evidence shows conclusively that Abraham’s family settled in the region a little south of Ron’s site for Babel, in the area of the Euphrates “loop” and the tributary, the Balikh River. Sarûgi (Serug, Abraham’s great grandfather’s name) today called Sürüç, is located halfway between the Euphrates and Harran. A town called Nahuru (Nahor, the name of Abraham’s grandfather as well as a brother) is known from both the Cappadocian tablets and the Mari texts to be in the same region. The name of Abraham’s father, Terah, is preserved at Til-sa-Turah, the “ruin of Terah” in the Balikh Valley. “What is remarkable is that all these geographical names are found in the district of Haran- according to the Biblical traditions it is precisely in this region that Abraham’s family stayed.” (EH, pp. 195-6.) Where the rest of the righteous, if any, went, we have no way of knowing. But, this evidence of Abraham’s family in the region indicates that they remained here when the others migrated to various other regions. They must have been a very prominent family due to the fact that the cities are named after his family members which indicates that they were the founders of these cities, or that they took up residence in existing cities which were abandoned (we’ll cover this more in depth later) and renamed them.
Nakhichevan in Soviet Armenia- Founded by Noah?

Near the eastern end of this valley is a town called Nakhichevan (just east of the Iranian border in the Armenian USSR.) Numerous Armenian traditions ascribe the founding of the city of Nakhichevan to Noah (EN, vol VII, p. 172). The evidence Ron found indicates that Noah and his wife were buried at the ancient complex we discussed earlier near the final resting place of the ark. We have assumed that therefore Noah and his wife most likely continued to maintain their original home here until their death. However, it seems very logical that as the patriarch of the family, Noah would have traveled with his younger family members as they explored the region in search of suitable areas to establish new settlements, then returning to his own home. Therefore, the traditions that state that he founded Nakhichevan could be based on actual fact.

Willem van Ruysbroeck of France, who spent Christmas day 1254 AD in this city, wrote about his travels in this region for the French king, and related the following: “Near this city [Nakhichevan] are mountains in which they say that Noah’s Ark rests; and there are two mountains, the one greater than the other; and the Araxes flows at their base; and there is a town there called Cemanum, which interpreted means “eight,” and they say that it was thus called from the eight persons who came out of the ark, and who built it on the greater mountain.” (QN, pp. 85-86). This account is interesting because it does contain some very important statements which indicate that the people WERE aware of the true site of the resting place of the ark. Notice that he says the ark rests in the” mountains” (plural), not ON the “greater” mountain. His account is the most accurate of any of the ark stories we have read, especially considering that he is relating stories about events which occurred over 3,500 years earlier. He gives 2 basic statements- that near Nakhichevan are some mountains which contain the remains of the ark. THEN, he mentions the “greater and lesser” mountains (Greater and Lesser Ararat) which are located next to the Araxes River, and that the town called “eight” is “on the greater mountain”. His account is accurate with one exception- the town called “eight” (Kazan where Noah and his wife were buried, and where most of the anchorstones are found) is not ON the mountain, but several miles from the base of it.

The traditions connecting Noah to this eastern end of the Araxes Valley seem to confirm the fact that Noah’s family spread out in this direction. Until the people left for Babel, this was the most logical region for expansion because it was easily accessible and flat, it followed the Aras (Araxes) River and it is extremely fertile. It also gives more insight into why the Biblical account was so precise in stating that those who founded Babel traveled “from the east”- Noah’s family had spread out in an eastward direction from the original landing site of the ark and Noah’s home. When the time came that this group banded together and left for “parts unknown”, the only direction they could travel was west (or “from the east”) as there were mountains to the north, the Caspian Sea to the east, and no major river going south for them to travel along.

Another Ancient Metal-Working Center ALSO in the Araxes Valley!

Another evidence which gives credence to the idea of Noah’s family expanding eastward along the Aras (Araxes) River is the fact that the other very early metallurgical center was at Nakhichevan! (PH, p. 54) There is no doubt that the immediate descendants of Noah would be those who had the earliest knowledge of metallurgy and employed it from the beginning.
But Where are All the Early Metal Objects?

Once again, we must understand certain facts in order to view the evidences properly. When ancient settlements are excavated, the archaeologists think that just because they find no metal objects that the people who lived there didn’t have metals. But metals were a precious commodity for a very long time, some even today. When people moved, they left their pottery behind because it was easy to make a new batch after they reached their new location and it was too bulky to try to carry on long journeys. This is not to say that they left every single piece- perhaps they used some to carry supplies in, but for the most part, pottery would be the objects left behind, along with other implements made of plentiful materials such as animal bone and obsidian. And these things ARE found in abundance in ancient sites. But metal implements would be considered very valuable and would therefore be carried along when people moved. For that reason, we cannot expect to find metal objects in these early sites. Even if an implement or tool is considered obsolete or new ones are desired, the metal from the old objects could be reshaped into the new items. Therefore, the absence of metal objects in an excavated site- especially these early sites that clearly have been abandoned and not destroyed by invaders- is to be expected. Well over 1,000 years later, when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC, he collected all the metal objects as spoils of war. (II Kings 25:13-17).

It is the tendency of scholars to try to explain evidences in the light of their own theories (most of which do NOT include the Biblical account). They constantly try to explain “advanced cultures”, such as the people who operated the metallurgy site at Metsamor, as having coming into an area from another area. Yet, they must admit certain things which absolutely point to the fact that the people in the region of eastern and northeastern Anatolia didn’t come from anywhere else; NEITHER did they receive their advanced knowledge from any foreign influence! (PH, p. 47). Well, actually some of them DID come from somewhere else, but it may as well have been another planet because the pre-flood world that was their original home was completely destroyed. For all practical purposes, mankind began again there; Noah’s descendants were BORN there; their advanced knowledge came from Noah and his sons who brought it from the pre-flood world. And from this region, mankind spread across the face of the earth. Evidences indicates that this Araxes Valley is the “original home from which this culture subsequently expanded in all directions.” (PH, p. 44.)

The Rapidly Growing Population of Predatory Animals

Why did the people remain in the Araxes Valley instead of immediately setting out to other regions? Well, for one thing, the population had to grow. Then, we must remember that there were no maps- the entire world was unknown to them. Oh, perhaps sometimes a group would scout around in the immediate vicinity looking for natural resources, etc. But there were other things which had to be considered- one of which we will now discuss. To fully comprehend the situation of those who lived just after the flood, we can only try to put ourselves in their situation. The problem is that we cannot even imagine what the world around the ark was like when the animal kingdom was reintroduced to their home, planet earth. It must have been terrifying at times, especially after a period of time, after the animals had grown in numbers.

After the flood, Noah and his family faced a world completely destroyed. In this “new, ragged and barren world” they had the task of breeding the animals from the ark and raising the first crops. As their families grew, they would have needed to establish their separate homes in communities where they could protect themselves and their domesticated flocks and herds from the rapidly increasing numbers of predatory animals. These predators, such as lions and tigers, reproduce in litters, having 6 or more young at a time, with very short gestation periods as opposed to people and domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep and goats who generally produce only one or 2 offspring at a time with much longer gestation periods.

With such a diversity of animals breeding freely in the region, many of which were predatory and quite dangerous to man and other animals, it would be extremely important for families and communities to remain together in order to provide protection for each other as well as for their flocks and herds. Ancient sites in Turkey have revealed large stone walls which, in the absence of any evidence of invaders, could only have only been for protection from the wild animals. Also, many ancient homes have been found which had no doorway but were entered through the roof by ladders which also could have been for this same purpose. Some were built side by side almost as one single unit, with doors entering a central courtyard with a single exit to the outside. (See PH, NN, EC and the numerous AS journals.) Also, many buried their dead below a stone slab under the floor of their houses which could very well have been to protect them from being dug up and eaten by animals. Man has long recognized the necessity of preventing animals from acquiring a taste for human flesh. A good example of this is the “man-eating tigers” we hear of occasionally.

The rapid growth of the predators must have made life very dangerous for Noah’s family. The situation was still the same during the time the children of Israel were entering the promised land: Exo 23:29 I will not drive them [the Hivite, the Hittite and the Canaanite] out from before the in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. Sadly, this situation set the stage for Nimrod’s claim to fame and great power as a result of his prowess as a hunter. There is a great deal of evidence of animals in the region which are no longer found there, such as an ostrich seen on a Hittite stele from Turkey. (IS, p. 100.) They have also found “…teeth and other fragments from the skeletons of hippopotamus, elephas antiquus [an extinct type of elephant], horse, cave bear and hyaena.” (MA, p. 14). These were not fossils- they were post-flood animals. They had much more to contend with than we can imagine.

Nimrod’s Influence Felt Even in This Century

Some things make such a monumental impression on people that they tend to be passed down through many, many generations. One such thing was the time when mankind and the vast array of rapidly reproducing animals began repopulating this earth again in close association with one another after the flood. We may have never given this a second thought as we read the story of Babel, but the evidences tell a story we need to think about. In the figurines and pottery forms of the earliest people, animals always were a major subject. On the one hand, people were very dependent upon cattle, goats and sheep for so many of their necessities. But on the other hand, they must have lived in great fear and danger with all the predators now competing for food. Nimrod, the great hunter, is the first person mentioned after the flood other than names given in the genealogies. We know he was a great man and that he built Babel, along with 3 other cities (and presumably more, since this was said to be the beginning of his kingdom). But what made him great, I believe, was his famed reputation as the “great hunter”.

One author who traveled much of Middle East in 1948, writes about a tale told him by Sir Leonard Woolley, the famed excavator of Ur.

“[He] once told me that the grandfather of a trusted overseer of his had killed a lion…. Here and there in the foothill region of Northern Syria, lions survived well into the second half of the nineteenth century. If a man wished to acquire fame and fortune (and also if he was strong and somewhat foolhardy!), he would announce that he would challenge a lion to single combat on a certain date…. The challenger was bound by certain traditional rules. He was allowed no weapon save a single sword. He was, however, allowed to swathe his left arm and hand defensively. This he did by wrapping them in enormous quantities of black goat’s-hair yarn (the stuff of which the black Beduin tents are woven). The lion advanced, and eventually sprang…. Lions, as they bite, automatically bring up their great fore-paws to help them hold and injure the prey. But here both fangs and claws spent their force in the entangling wool. This was the moment the man must seize. While mouth and fore legs were thus occupied, he must manage with one stroke of his sword to hamstring the lion’s left hind-leg. It is then only a matter of skill and agility to keep out of the range of the jaws while stabbing the creature to death. I say `only’; but obviously the skill and agility required were very considerable, and the man might still be mauled. Hence, the overseer’s grandfather killed his lion safely. He thenceforward had the appellation of Lion-killer added to his name, and never had to do any more work, as lion-killers were entertained at the public expense for the rest of their lives.” (FA,, pp. 168-170.)

Perhaps this may help us understand why Nimrod’s reputation as a great hunter was important enough to be mentioned in the Biblical account. It was and still is no easy task to tangle with wild animals. But before we had guns, it was a much more daunting one. And apparently those who were brave enough to take on these savage beasts were looked upon as god-like; especially considering the fact that Nimrod convinced everyone that he WAS a god. And so, 4,000 years later, in some remote area of northern Syria (close to Babel), those who killed lions received the great title of “Lion-Killer” and never had to work another day in their life. Even King David’s great fame included his abilities to kill dangerous animals. He killed a lion and a bear (Isa. 17:34-36).

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29,367 views Oct 25, 2020 #RonWyatt #Biblicalarchaeology #Noahsark

An interview from 30 years ago where Ron Wyatt discusses the evidence for Noah’s ark being discovered and his claims about the Ark of the Covenant. Interesting historical footage.

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