Ankara, Turkey, Apr 27, 2010 / 23:05 pm
A Chinese-Turkish exploration team reported on Sunday that they have discovered a wooden structure on the top of Mt. Ararat in Turkey which they believe to be the biblical Noah's Ark.
“The search team has made the greatest discovery in history. This finding is very important and the greatest up to now,” said a team archaeologist, Prof. Oktay Belli, in an April 25 press conference. Although many “people have searched the mountain for the holy Ark,” he added, this recent discovery “is the first serious search (and) that the team found a wood structure under ice.”
Noah's Ark Ministries International (NAMI) reported earlier this week that after a nearly two year expedition involving difficult weather and treacherous conditions, the team discovered a broken up wood structure with seven spaces, containing wood fragments from over 4,800 years ago. According to the Bible, after the earth was flooded and the waters receded, Noah's ark ran aground on a mountain, which many believe to be Mt. Ararat – the highest point in the region.
Team member Panda Lee recalled on Sunday that in October 2008, “I climbed the mountain with the Turkish team. At an elevation of more than 4,000 meters (13,123 feet), I saw a structure built with plank-like timber. Each plank was about 8 inches wide. I could see tenons, proof of ancient construction predating the use of metal nails.”