Is it Noah’s ark? Archeological discovery in Turkey sparks debate.
Researchers from universities in Turkey and the United States believe they may have found the ruins of Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat, the highest mountain in Turkey.
The biblical account tells of God instructing Noah to build an ark to spare his family and pairs of animals from an incoming flood.
Noah’s Ark is said to have come to rest on the mountains of Ararat following a 150-day flood about 5,000 years ago.
Now, researchers believe they’ve found human activity near the boat-shaped formation from between 5500 and 3000 BC.
“In terms of dating, it is stated that there was life in this region as well,” Faruk Kaya, AICU vice rector professor, says, according to The Daily Mail.
“This was revealed in the laboratory results.”
However, this does not prove the accuracy of the Biblical account.
Archaeologists have reaffirmed multiple times that the formation is natural and not the result of a shipwreck.
There is also no geologic record of a global flood such as the one described in religious texts. And whilst some people believe that a local flood may have been possible, this has also been debated.
“With the dating, it is not possible to say that the ship is here,” Kaya, told Turkish news publication Hurriyet. “We need to work for a long time to reveal this.
In the next period, we agreed to carry out a joint study under the leadership of ITU, Andrew University and AICU. Three universities will continue their work in this field in the future.”
