Discovered Noah's Ark

DISCOVERED: NOAH’S ARK

By Ron Wyatt

1989

INTRODUCTION

In a day and age when our society seeks heroes and searches for role models, it is encouraging to meet someone like Ron Wyatt. Best described as a modern-day "Indiana Jones," the Turkish government officially recognizes Ron as the explorer who has discovered Noah's Ark in the mountains of Ararat in eastern Turkey.

As you read this book you will be drawn into the intrigue that surrounds Mr. Wyatt's twelve year search for the Ark. His incredible experiences include being jailed as a spy and being shot at by terrorists. He has been beaten, robbed and persecuted. While giving details and documentation of the search, this book also offers the reader an opportunity to share in the excitement of his incredible search and discovery.

The release of information about the discovery of the Ark has been kept to a minimum by the national press and the world media until preliminary work was completed to protect the historical remains. However, the Turkish government has given credibility to Mr. Wyatt's discovery by building a four lane highway to the site, along with a Visitors Center which is now open to the public.

The 20/20 television show has been to the discovery site with Mr. Wyatt and has filmed the remains of what they called "Noah's Big Boat". In recent months, Wyatt has been seen on hundreds of television stations across the United States.

In addition to Noah's Ark, Mr. Wyatt has discovered remains of Sodom and Gomorrah, chariot wheels in the Red Sea and the real Mt. Sinai. Now you can discover these and other thrilling archaeological discoveries in this exciting and informative book.

It is our desire to present you with information to assist you in a clearer understanding of the Biblical truth.

Michael D. Sheppard Publisher

FOREWORD

Many controversies have persisted over the years; some are trivial, and some border on the ridiculous, but some are profound, affecting the very foundations of Our beliefs. Those with the most far-reaching and persistent potentials concern the ancient history of mankind as presented in the Holy Bible.

I want to share with you the discovery of Noah's Ark. However, shortly after I became convinced of the authenticity of the Ark, I was divinely guided to several other discoveries which are equally astounding confirmations of the total infallibility of the Bible as Noah's Ark is. These great treasures, preserved by the Hand of God, I believe, are God's great "attention getters" for those who have been discouraged in total belief in the Word of God.

I first became interested in Noah's Ark in 1959 after reading an article in Life Magazine about a "mysterious boat-shaped object" photographed near Mt. Ararat. By 1975, I knew I was going to see this "formation" for myself; I believed it was possibly the remains of Noah's Ark.

In 1960, an expedition from the United States went to examine the object and returned after two days of research at the site with the verdict that it was a natural geological formation. There was nothing of any archaeological interest there.

In 1977, I made the first of 25 (to date) trips to Turkey, and after that first trip, I knew for sure. But gaining the evidence needed to convince the world was another matter.

Today, we have trainloads of evidence. However, it has become a great point of controversy among the ark-hunters. I've been criticized for everything from my methods of research to the factthat I don't speak in tongues. But it's been a small price to pay. I can say without a doubt the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is a historically accurate and reliable guide to the future.

RONALD E. WYATT

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CHAPTER 1

THE SEARCH IS OVER!

On June 20, 1987, a group of Turkish government officials and scientists, a film crew from the United States, and an American archaeologist were gathered on a mountain side in the ancient kingdom of Urartu in eastern Turkey. The purpose of this gathering was the dedication of the area as a national park. The area seemed wild and remote; one had the feeling he was thousands of miles from civilization and thousands of years into the past. As shepherds guided their herds through the craggy mountains, the villagers went about their daily lives in stone dwellings reminiscent of a bygone era. The rolling mountains dominated the vast countryside which was broken by towering spires of stone that betrayed the seismic violence that had dominated the region at the dawn of civilization.

Then as one turned and lifted his gaze, the lofty grandeur of the cloud-enshrouded Agri Dagh (Ararat) filled the northern sky. This mystical mountain had for millennia spawned many grandiose and tragic legends of the abodes of the gods and the refuge of the survivors of a world devastated by a universal flood.

As the ceremony began, the guest of honor turned for a moment to gaze upon Agri Dagh's compelling beauty and marvelled as she seemed to pull her veil of clouds about her as a shroud. It was as if the mountain herself knew her deception had been revealed. A tear welled in his eye and found its way down his weathered face as he thought of the countless millions of human kind who had been and were still being swept to destruction by demon-inspired deceptions. These "cunningly devised fables"¹ had been and will be enthusiastically received from lying lips by those "who loved not the truth." Millions had and will continue to pay dearly for "loving and believing a lie."² The price: forfeiture of their eternal life.

The dedication of Noah's Ark National Park was festive. The government officials were delighted with the prospects of the influx of tourists and of more money with which to improve the lives of their people. The locals were happy with the good jobs made available through the construction of the new super highway leading to the visitor's center soon to be built overlooking the remains of Noah's Ark. The military officials were happily contemplating their responsibilities of providing safety for the countless visitors. The film crew was happily filming the joyous occasion while thoughts of fame and fortune danced through their minds. Ron Wyatt's silent tears of relief from years of opposition and struggle went unnoticed amid the mirth of the day.

The front page of the Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet, dated 21 Harizan 1987 (June 21, 1987):

by Ibrahim Ozturk

NOAH'S ARK AREA IS OPENING TO TOURISM

DOGUBEYAZIT,(hha) - At the Uzengili village, which is near the Dogubeyazit district is located the boat-shaped formation. Scientists from the U.S.A. have confirmed that it is Noah's Ark. The governor has announced that it is now a national park and open for tourists.

At Uzengili village, which is 15 kilometers from Dogubeyazit, Turkish scientists, Mr. Ronald Eldon Wyatt and his team from the U.S.A. made a research of the area. They took samples of the soil. Test results revealed that the soil has iron and fossil boat structures. Scientists confirmed that Noah's Ark is at the Uzengili village.

Mr. Sevket Ekinci, Governor of Agri; Mr. Cengiz Gokce, Head Official of the District of Dogubeyazit; Mr. Osman Baydar, President of the Municipality; some Turkish scientists, and Mr. Wyatt participated in the ceremony opening the area for tourists. Mr. Sevket Ekinci said, "Turkey is a country of great interest for tourists. The Holy Bible and the Koran also say that Noah's Ark is in this area." Mr. Ekinci added, "It is my pleasure that I am opening this area which is getting great attention for Noah's Ark and I appreciate all the scientists for discovering Noah's Ark. We are laying a foundation for a welcome center for Turkish and foreign tourists. Thank you."

(Translation provided by Mine Uneler, official government liaison provided to work with me during my trips to Turkey. She also acted as my interpreter. This translation was verified in August, 1989 by a Turkish newspaper reporter, who wishes to remain anonymous, working for the "Nashville Tennessean" on an exchange program. Many thanks to them both).

¹ See 2 Peter 1:16
² See Revelation 22:14 and 15

TO Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

THE YEARS OF RESEARCH... 1977 - 1987

"The night was hot and sultry in eastern Turkey; the heat and darkness seemed like co-conspirators with the danger exploding just outside our door...

"Ronny! Are you awake? We've gotta get outta here! Some of those villagers are trying to kill us!"

My younger son, Ronny was 15 at the time and had been sleeping in room 303 of the Erzurum Hotel in Dogubeyazit. My other son, Danny, then 17, and I were across the hall in room 308. When we heard the pummeling of heavily shod feet rushing up the stairs, I shouted commands for the boys to grab what they could and get into the room Ronny was in, which had a window that opened above the back roof. The window in our room had a fire escape of sorts, and we'd be sitting ducks if we stayed in there.

We grabbed what we could and barricaded ourselves in room 303 by shoving the bed against the door and pushing the chest between the bed and the wall. Little was spoken as our minds raced, trying to comprehend what was happening to us. We could hear the attempted use of a passkey in the lock as the door appeared to strain against the weight of the angry mob just outside, threatening to disintegrate and loose upon us the furious knot of assailants. Our mouths and throats were excruciatingly dry from the lack of safe drinking water and also from the rush of adrenaline propelled into our systems. Desperately, our minds cast about for any means of escape, and I wondered how my well-laid plans had deteriorated to this..."

That scenario took place during my first trip to Turkey in 1977. And it was that trip which provided me with the discoveries that proved to me the boat-shaped object I was in search of was indeed the remains of Noah's Ark. It would be another ten years of painstaking and costly research before the Turkish government was convinced the boat was real, but today the evidence is in, and soon the entire world will be able to see the Ark remains for itself. The multi-million dollar highway is near completion; this will provide visitors easy access to the site and the modern, spacious visitor's center above the Ark.

DETAILS OF THE SEARCH

During the summer of 1977, my two sons and I found ourselves at risk in a strange country amongst a people of strange speech. They attempted to rob and possibly kill us. (For the record, the same thing could and often does happen to tourists from other countries who visit our country and fall among the criminal element of our society.) This "nervousing experience", (a term coined by my youngest son, Ronny, that fit the situation quite accurately), was the beginning of many years of slow, meticulous, frustrating research that culminated in undeniable proof of the reality and location of the remains of Noah's Ark.

Our first trip to eastern Turkey produced a veritable landslide of discoveries and excitement and set the pace for a breathtakingly rapid sequence of discoveries that left us in a state of mind that had us mentally "pinching ourselves" from the difficulty of accepting the reality of it all!

Our discoveries on the 1977 trip included several massive, pierced anchor stones that bore an eight-cross iconographic representation of the eight survivors of the flood. These crosses were inscribed by the Byzantine and Crusader Christians, which proved that something or someone convinced them that these pierced stones were relics from the Ark of Noah. One of the stones bore the inscription of Nimrod, the builder of the tower of Babel and several great cities of early antiquity. These symbols of Nimrod were crosses with the outline of a boat (the Ark?) attached to the base of the cross. This symbolized his claim that he had preserved mankind in the face of their attempted destruction by the gods. The boat at the foot of the cross represented the means he claimed to have used to save mankind. The horizontal member of the cross represented heaven, and the vertical member of the cross represented the tower of Babel, which was the pathway to heaven he had promised his followers he would provide. After Nimrod's death, the boat symbol was placed at the top of the vertical member of the cross and is the symbol of life in the Egyptian hieroglyphics and the symbol of Nimrod's (Osirus) presence in heaven from whence he cares for his earthly followers.

We found two grave markers that bore the eight-cross symbols of Noah and his family above an ancient, petroglyphic portrayal of Noah's death on one marker and that of his wife on the other. These grave markers were in the front of a very ancient stone house. These markers and the house have been vandalized, and over one hundred million U.S. dollars worth of gold and gemstones were stolen from the graves. The Turkish authorities are seeking to recover these precious artifacts and to punish the thieves. At present, they are aware of the identity of the most probable person responsible for this outrage. He is a man who has been involved in the Ark search in the past, but he dropped from the public eye shortly after the theft from Noah's and his wife's graves.

We located and photographed several other inscriptions and physical remains of the flood and the Ark. We got a brief look at the boat remains before we were forced to flee for our lives. Upon our arrival back in the states, we had our super-eight movie film developed and were delighted to see that we had good photographic documentation of all the artifacts and inscriptions.

Shortly after our return, a friend called to inform me that an M.D. PhD (Dr. Bill Shea) from a university in Michigan had written several articles that stated his belief that the boat formation was related to the landing site of Noah's Ark. I contacted Dr. Bill Shea and shared our discoveries with him. He was delighted, reviewed the inscriptions, recognized the pierced stone anchors as probable relics from the Ark, and joined with me in applying to the Turkish government for permission to excavate the boat-shaped formation. The Turkish authorities declined to give us a permit at that time. We got the same reply after a second request. We were stymied.

My sons and I spent the summer of 1978 locating and documenting the site where Moses and the Habiru (Hebrew slaves, which included many of the descendants of Abraham by his three wives; Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah; these women are the fore-mothers of all the Arab and Jewish peoples) crossed the Red Sea.

Yet, all the while, we were unable to forget the fantastic discoveries associated with Noah's Ark. We, with some trusted friends, prayed that God would see fit to send an earthquake that would in some manner expose the boat formation for what it was without injury to any of the inhabitants of the area. Watching the evening news on the 28th of December, 1978, I was thrilled to see that an earthquake had hit the area where the Ark remains were located and that there had been no casualties! I made arrangements to return to the site, and arrived there in the early summer of 1979. The formation had been split down the middle along its entire length, and the earth had fallen away from its sides. This allowed me to take clean, fresh samples from five locations along the center and sides of the boat. It also made it possible to carefully measure the depth of the object along its length, and to document the dimensions of several of the main structural timbers that were exposed. I photographed the formation and its exposed structures and returned home with a veritable treasure-trove of archaeological data and specimens!

Galbraith Laboratories of Knoxville, Tennessee was highly recommended, and it was to them I entrusted the care and analysis of these precious samples. The results were astounding! The raw carbon³ content showed the object to be composed of decayed wood, and a high concentration of oxidized metal was shown. We had taken three samples from the site at distances that guaranteed them to be out of the geological influence of the boat remains. These compared favorably with chemical values of normal countryside and proved that the boat formation was composed of decayed and oxidized archaeological remains!

I shared this data with Bill Shea, and on the strength of this evidence, we made reapplication to the Turkish authorities and were again put off. Dr. Shea and I decided that the high metallic contents of the formation warranted evaluation (investigation) with metal detection devices. We contacted Whites Electronic Corporation of Sweet Home, Oregon and were supplied with their best-quality metal detection equipment. This was done during the interval between 1979 and 1984.

Again, my sons and I were working in the Middle East, documenting the methods used by the ancient Egyptians to build the pyramids. During the fall of 1983 I became aware that Colonel James Irwin of High Flight Foundation, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was searching for the remains of Noah's Ark. I contacted him by phone and was invited to visit him and to share the details of our research with him. He was "intrigued" by our research and wanted to see the boat formation and possibly work with us on the investigation and documentation of the Red Sea crossing site, pyramid building, and the Ark of the Covenant. He, Mary, (his wife), and their family are wonderful friends, and we have highly valued their friendship. It was Colonel Irwin, I believe, who helped get my sons and me out of prison in Saudi Arabia, where we had been mistakenly accused of being Israeli spies! The details of the discovery of the real Mt. Sinai include the altar, the twelve pillars of stone (22x18 ft. double-walled towers of stone), plus the remains of a twelve columned, white marbled shrine, dedicated to the "Mountain Of God" (Yahweh) and twelve petroglyphs of Hathor and Apis, the cow and bull gods of Egypt (the golden calf).

In August, 1984, accompanied by Colonel Jim Irwin and armed with the deep probe metal detectors courteously provided by Whites Electronics, we returned to the boat formation. (Another well-known electronics firm promised us some metal detection equipment, but to date we haven't received it.) In the company of Colonel Irwin, Marvin Steffins, Bulant Atalay, "Whatcha" McCullum, a military escort and a Turkish army officer, Orhan Basar, I demonstrated a pattern of metals and/or their oxides that showed the outline of a boat in the formation. The army officer, under my direction, took several small samples from metal brackets and petrified timbers.

Mr. Steffins called a news conference a few days later, displayed some bags of specimens "from Noah's Ark", and claimed the discovery. This triggered an international "incident" that resulted in my being accused of stealing archaeological treasures from Turkey by Ted Koppel on A.B.C.'s NIGHTLINE, the night of August 27, 1984! A call to the Turkish mission at the U.N. led to my exoneration by the MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM, MUKERREM TASCIOGLU, in an A.P. interview on August 30, 1984. When the "incident" blew over, we proceeded with the analysis of the samples per agreement with the Turkish authorities. The results of these analyses confirmed those taken in 1979 and proved that the formation contained a massive, ancient boat that was built of massive, wooden timbers held in place by many massive, metal brackets and spikes!

From the data accumulated from 1977-1984 I was able to construct a scale model of Noah's Ark. In fact, we built several models, presenting one to the governor of Agri providence, The Honorable SEVKET EKINCI, and another of the models is stored in Ankara for presentation to PRESIDENT KENNAN EVEREN when the opportunity arises.

In the winter of 1985 I received calls from DAVID FASOLD, a specialist in old boat research and identification, and JOHN BAUMGARDNER, PhD., a geophysicist from Los Alamos National Laboratories. I invited them to accompany me to the site later in the year. David introduced the Molecular Frequency Generator into the research, and along with the equipment from Whites Electronics, it identified the massive structure of a boat enclosed within the boat formation!

During July and August of 1985, with financial assistance arranged by Dr. Baumgardner and accompanied by David Fasold, John Baumgardner, Tom Anderson, Maylon Wilson, Tom Thaxton, Tom Jarriel, Jim Burroughs, Niel Richline, George House, Judith Moses (ABC's 20/20 producer) and others, (those included on my permit from the Turkish government were: David Fasold, John Baumgardner, Normajean Baumgardner, Thomas Anderson, Todd Fisher, Scott Snider, William Shea, Fredrich Bach, Klaus Wattenbach, Zafer Akcay) we planned to scan the formation with a SUBSURFACE INTERFACE RADAR SYSTEM. This system was developed by GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS SYSTEMS INC. of Hudson, New Hampshire and was accompanied by their geologist, Tom Fenner. The preliminary survey and lay out of the site progressed smoothly. We were accompanied by a group of 30 Turkish Commandos, who hid in the surrounding countryside for our protection. Turkish intelligence had informed me that an attempt would likely be made to kidnap or kill Colonel Irwin and/or myself. The attempt made by some Iranian terrorists resulted in the deaths of five terrorists and three Turkish soldiers! Martial law was declared in the area, our plans were trashed, and the radar scan waited until later that fall.

We surveyed the site with three types of metal detectors and two subsurface radar systems. Their data, along with core drilling samples, proved beyond any doubt that a VERY LARGE, (515 FEET) VERY ANCIENT BOAT (IDENTIFIED BY INSCRIPTIONS AS NOAH'S ARK) LIES WITHIN THE BOAT FORMATION!

³ See copies of these first 2 lab reports in the chapter "Illustrations"

CHAPTER 3

A SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCES

The Turkish government has meticulously observed and kept records of the activities and claims of all who have "looked for Noah's Ark" over the last 50 years. They followed our research (by our invitation) and STEP BY SCIENTIFIC STEP became convinced of the reality of the remains of NUH'UN GEMISI (Noah's Ark) buried within the boat formation.

The reasons which convinced the Turkish government and POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE REMAINS OF THE LARGE ANCIENT BOAT WITHIN THE BOAT FORMATION AS THOSE OF NOAH'S ARK are as follows:

1. The formation was positively identified as a boat by a number of skilled photogrammetry experts from a set of aerial photographs. In a quote from Rene Noorbergen's book "The Ark File", Dr. Arthur Brandenburger, professor of photogrammetry at Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, stated after careful study of the photo of the site, "I have no doubt at all that this object is a ship. In my entire career I have never seen an object like this on a stereo photo."

Dr. Brandenburger went on the 1960 expedition to the site, and after the team returned home with the verdict that there was nothing there of any archaeological interest, Dr. Brandenburger was still not convinced. In further quotes from the above book, he says later, "Our measurements in the field verify our laboratory findings. In my opinion further study of this peculiar symmetrical phenomenon should be made by an expert in tectonics."

"Meanwhile, I have received my developed colored slides of the ship-shaped formation, and I still must say it is an amazing feature. It is doubtless a mystery, and I come always more to the conclusion that our official statement to the press was too negative. The interpretation of the formation is of utmost difficulty, and I am not anymore so sure that, from a serious scientific standpoint, a sole surface archaeological investigation of only two days entitles us to state that the formation is not the ark."

Dr. Brandenburger was exactly right.

2. Twelve years of electronic and mechanical probing has positively identified it as a boat.

3. Repeated chemical analysis of many different samples, taken at different times by different people and analyzed at different laboratories, positively prove it to be composed of very ancient wood and metal.

4. Samples of petrified wood have been located and taken from the structure in the presence of many witnesses. In addition to previous tests, I have additional samples which have metal brackets and rust, which were videoed as they were retrieved from the boat. I will have them tested at various testing facilities in the future and in the presence of witnesses.

5. A large number of ancient and medieval inscriptions near the site positively identify it as Noah's Ark. There will be more on these inscriptions in our later book, which will include photographs.

6. Its 515 foot length, its 138 foot width (splayed) are the measurements of Noah's Ark as recorded by Moses (educated to use the ancient Egyptian cubit) in the Book of Genesis. See an explanation under "Questions I Am Most Frequently Asked About Noah's Ark".

7. It is located in the mountains of Urartu (Ararat) as specified in the Bible.

8. Its location at an elevation of 6300 feet above sea level is above any possible height reachable by a "local flood" but is below the maximum water level that would result from all the water of our planet washing the earth's surface (7000-8000 feet).

9. Its location, many miles from any present or ancient body of water that would support it, defies any other explanation.

10. Its massive size and weight make it impossible that it could have been "trundled" (dragged) this distance from water, and its altitude above present and past sea levels defies any other explanation.

11. Contrary to a touched up photograph, which has been widely circulated, it's the only formation of its kind on planet earth, other than remains of other ancient boats of much smaller size.

12. Your writer, in the presence of Turkish authorities and other observers, performed an electronic survey of a site that some of our critics said resembled the boat formation (the similarities were vague at best, nonexistent in actuality); the metal detectors and sub-surface radar scans showed nothing in the site that were not present anywhere in the area.

13. A careful electronic survey of the area around the formation showed none of the structures present in the formation.

14. Chemical analysis of the area around the formation showed only normal traces of the metallic oxides and organic carbon which are present in large amounts in the formation.

15. Train-loads of petrified wood are present in the formation, but there is little to be found in the rest of eastern Turkey.

16. Many ancient historians record that the remains of Noah's Ark were to be visited in this area.

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