Sightings of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat

Between 1856 to 1974 an estimated 200 people from 23 countries claimed they saw Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat. (Balsiger & Sellier 1974 p.203)

From 1961 to 1976 at least 37 expeditions went up the mountain. (Wood 1976)

The phrase "Mountains of Ararat" (Genesis 8:4) is explained by some commentators to refer to two summits of Mount Ararat. There is Big Ararat (16,945 feet; 5,165 metres) and Little Ararat (12,800 feet; 3,900 metres). The phrase "Mount Ararat" without qualification usually refers to the higher summit.

Others explain "Mountains of Ararat" in Genesis as referring to mountain ranges extending hundreds of kilometres but including Mount Ararat itself.

Several quotes later in this article relate "Ararat" to Armenia! A possible reason for this is that since Hebrew writing lacked vowels the r r t translated Ararat might rather refer to Urartu. This was a kingdom extending from Lake Van in eastern Turkey northwards and included Armenia. If Urartu rather than Ararat is correct then no individual mountain where Noah's Ark berthed is identified in the Bible.

Mount Ararat is covered by glaciers. The weather is often clear in the early mornings. By midday fog and clouds and blizzards often cover the summit while lower down are frequent thunder storms.

Little Ararat is sometimes ice-free in summer. Big Ararat has permanent ice, 200 feet thick, covering 22 square miles and down to 13,500 feet. Twelve glaciers flow downwards.

High winds and moving glaciers regularly send boulders rolling down. Deep crevasses in the ice add to the danger. So do blinding snow storms, lightning, poisonous snakes, bears, wild dogs, loose rocks, snow avalanches, rock avalanches, thin atmosphere and occasional earthquakes. The Ahora Gulch on Ararat's north east side has 8,000-foot cliffs. Some would-be climbers died in the attempt – Christopher Trease in 1965 and two others in 1967 for example.

Mount Ararat is a volcano. An earthquake in June 1840 destroyed the 8-century old St. Jacob Monastery at Ahora (7,000 ft level) and the village of Ahora (or Arguri) on the north west slope and reportedly killed 2,000 people. Numerous relics from Noah's Ark were said to be stored in the Monastery but the site remains buried and unexcavated.

Noah is mentioned a dozen times in the Bible after Genesis. (Isaiah 54:9; Matthew 24:37-39; 1 Peter 3:20-21)


For the complete article: http://ed5015.tripod.com/ReligCreationi ... ings55.htm


Quasa92r

LittleLambofJesus said:

Sightings of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat

Hmmm. You would think a Satellite orbiting the earth would see something like that, since they can practically see the legs of a flea from space.

Ararat Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary

Ararat [N] [H] "the curse of trembling"

sacred land or high land, the name of a country on one of the mountains of which the ark rested after the Flood subsided ( Genesis 8:4 ). The "mountains" mentioned were probably the Kurdish range of South Armenia. In 2 Kings 19:37 , Isaiah 37:38 , the word is rendered "Armenia" in the Authorized Version, but in the Revised Version, "Land of Ararat." In Jeremiah 51:27 , the name denotes the central or southern portion of Armenia. It is, however, generally applied to a high and almost inaccessible mountain which rises majestically from the plain of the Araxes. It has two conical peaks, about 7 miles apart, the one 14,300 feet and the other 10,300 feet above the level of the plain. Three thousand feet of the summit of the higher of these peaks is covered with perpetual snow. It is called Kuh-i-nuh, i.e., "Noah's mountain", by the Persians.
This part of Armenia was inhabited by a people who spoke a language unlike any other now known, though it may have been related to the modern Georgian. About B.C. 900 they borrowed the cuneiform characters of Nineveh, and from this time we have inscriptions of a line of kings who at times contended with Assyria. At the close of the seventh century B.C. the kingdom of Ararat came to an end, and the country was occupied by a people who are ancestors of the Armenians of the present day.

Click to expand...

Noah's Ark Expeditions and Sightings

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Noah's Ark expeditions archaeologists Genesis Turkey ArmeniaIran
Most searches for the ark have been conducted on Mt. Ararat. However, it should be noted that the Bible states that the ark landed "on the mountains of Ararat", denoting an entire mountain range rather than an individual mountain. The place known as the mountains of Ararat, thought to be the same as the ancient kingdom of Urutu, encompasses a broad area. Mt. Ararat is only one peak in this mountain range, but it is commonly believed to be the final resting place of the ark. Some claim that Mt. Ararat, the tallest mountain in the area, is the only one with a large enough ice cap to preserve the ark for thousands of years, while others point out that the volcanic mountain experiences frequent mudflows that would have destroyed the ark long ago. Additionally, some researchers are convinced that it is impossible for the ark to have landed on Mt. Ararat because the mountain was not in existence at the time of the flood but was actually formed much later as a result of volcanic

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activity.

"The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible." Genesis 8:3-5 (NIV)
Contents

• 1 Significance of the Discovery
• 2 Dangers of the Search
• 3 Expeditions and Claims
  • 3.1 Dr. Friedrich Parrot (1829)
  • 3.2 Prince John Joseph Nouri (1887)
  • 3.3 Lieutenant Roskovitsky (1916)
  • 3.4 Ed Davis (1943)
  • 3.5 Fernand Navarra (1955)
  • 3.6 Eryl Cummings (1970s)
  • 3.7 Ray Anderson (1970s)
  • 3.8 Dr. John Morris and ICR (1972)
  • 3.9 Ron Wyatt and the Durupinar Site (1977)
  • 3.10 Col. James Irwin (1982)
  • 3.11 Bill Crouse (1984)
  • 3.12 Robert Cornuke (1987)
  • 3.13 Chuck Aaron (1987)
  • 3.14 Don Shockey (1989)
  • 3.15 Daniel McGivern (2004)
• 4 References
• 5 External links
• 6 See Also

Significance of the Discovery

The discovery of Noah's ark would validate the Biblical story of Noah's flood.
Noah's ark, if discovered, would have a profound significance to the Christian community as a whole. For some, the discovery would serve to reaffirm their faith in the Bible by validating the account of the Great Flood in Genesis. It would prove once again that the Bible is accurate and can be accepted as true. It would also convince many people that the worldwide flood, now relegated to the realm of myth, actually occurred. This in turn would challenge currently held ideas of uniformitarianism and the evolutionary view of the fossil record. If a boat as large as the ark were to be discovered on the summit of Mt. Ararat, it would point to a global flood large enough to float the boat to the top of the mountain.

Other people groups would also be affected by such a discovery. Christianity is not the only religion to believe in Noah's flood; for example, the Islamic Qur'an also makes mention of Noah's ark and the Great Flood. Additionally, the country of Turkey as a whole would benefit from greatly increased tourism if Noah's ark was ever positively identified.

Some people believe that Noah's ark would be the greatest archaeological find of all time, and claim that it would completely destroy any basis for a belief in evolution. They hope that it would force the world to finally accept the truth of scripture. Even the (now deceased) editor of National Geographic, Dr. Melville Bell Grosvenor, said that, "If the ark of Noah is discovered, it will be the greatest archaeological find in human history, the greatest event since the resurrection of Christ, and it would alter all the currents of scientific thought."[1]. However, while the discovery of the ark would definitely be seen as strong evidence for the global flood by Christians experiencing doubt, it is unlikely that such a discovery would alter the opinions of most secular scientists who firmly hold to their beliefs in evolution. The Bible says that:

"First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed." 2Peter 3:3-6 (NIV) young earth
Dangers of the Search
Mt. Ararat, located on Turkey's border with Armenia and Iran and near Iraq, is often at the center of political tension and regional turmoil. Kurdish terrorist groups live on the mountain, hiding out in caves and attacking groups that try to search for the ark[2]. Many explorers report being shot at and harassed by the terrorists. The PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) especially has been responsible for attacks on explorers. Since 1928 the group has been working to fight the Turkish government by attacking the tourist trade, and those who enter Mt. Ararat, where the PKK often hides out, come under attack[3].

During the Cold War, Turkey shut off all access to the mountain because of its proximity to the Soviet Union. Searchers were suspected of spying under the guise of looking for the ark. When the Cold War ended, the Turkish government began letting people enter and explore the area, but many locations are still restricted and expeditions often have to be postponed, cut short, or canceled altogether due to a lack of support from the government[3].

In addition to political conflict, searchers also face natural dangers. Mt. Ararat, a volcanic mountain, last erupted in 1840, and today earthquakes, mudslides, rock slides, and avalanches threaten those who attempt to ascend the mountain. Explorers often look for the ark in crevasses and canyons such as the Ahora Gorge, but these locations are dangerous and several adventurers have lost their footing and fallen to their deaths in the deep cracks of the mountain. Weather can also prove treacherous, with storms, lightning, and thick fog, and explorers must watch out for wild animals such as wolves that roam the area[3].

For the rest of the lengthy article:

Noah's Ark Expeditions and Sightings Throughout History


Quasar92