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The Search for Noah's Ark

The Search for Noah's Ark by Kelly L. Segraves

Chapter 1

In the spring of 1974, the world stood amazed at the revelation that U.S. satellites had photographed an object in the ice cap of Mt. Ararat. While some wondered at the discovery, a few staunch explorers realized the impact of the government's findings.

But that is only half the story, the rest is revealed in this Book of Discoveries. Yes, the greatest archaeological discovery of all time, the Ark of Noah.

During the last 135 years, nearly 200 individuals have claimed to see the remains of the ark of Noah on the majestic mountain of Ararat. Does the ark still exist? This is the question that concerns us in the search for Noah's ark.

First of all, let us examine the size of the ark in order to gain the background for our study. Assuming a cubit to be 18 inches, the Bible states in Genesis 6:15 that Noah's ark is approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high, about half the size of the Queen Mary.

In Genesis 8:4 we find that the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat and there are indeed two mountains. Lesser Ararat, a volcanic cone, is 12,800 feet in elevation. The elevation of Greater Ararat is 16,946 feet.

Both of these mountains are in eastern Turkey, about twenty miles from the Russian border. This is one of the few areas of the free world that comes close enough to the Russian frontier to allow one to look into Russia. In recent years the Russian government has put a tremendous amount of pressure on Turkey in order to keep expeditions from coming to the mountain of Ararat.

Mount Ararat as described by an explorer named Parrot shows a large chasm or rift known as the Ahora Gorge. An earthquake in 1840 caused a deep chasm in the middle of this rolling frontier. There is now a 6,000 foot drop from the top of the mountain. It is in the Ahora Gorge area that the modern search for Noah's ark is centered.

In the mountain of Ararat and the Ahora Gorge there is a piece of ice in the shape of an upside-down heart. This area is the peak of the mountain known as Al Judi.

The Moslem Koran states that the ark came to rest on Al Judi, and the people for many years thought Al Judi was a completely different mountain. Recently it was learned that Al Judi refers to this particular peak in the mountain of Ararat. Therefore, the Bible and the Koran refer to the same mountain.

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