Noah's Ark in Iran?

Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) ^ | July 19, 2006 | Rick Lanser, M.Div.

[Sopater]

This article was first published in the July 2006 ABR Electronic Newsletter.

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. – Genesis 11:1–2 (KJV)

The Media Blitz

Since mid-June, 2006 there has been a flurry of reports in the media and on the Internet about the possible discovery of Noah's Ark on a mountain in northern Iran. Robert ("Bob") Cornuke, who has previously claimed to have found such notable things as the true Mount Sinai, the place of Paul's shipwreck off the coast of Malta, and the location of the Ark of the Covenant, has now focused on what is perhaps the biggest target of all, both literally and figuratively – Noah's Ark.

In brief, on a mountain known locally as Takht-e Suleiman in the Elborz range of northern Iran, Cornuke and his team found an "unusual object" at the 13,120-foot elevation which is currently (7/16/06) described on his website (http://www.baseinstitute.org/noah.html) as "dark rock with an uncanny beam-like appearance in several places," having a texture and color unique to the area, and of the approximate dimensions of Noah's Ark. Cornuke adds that some samples were tested by an independent lab and "showed signs of petrified wood," though what those signs were has not yet been announced, and these signs evidently did not apply to the entire object. There was additionally a second finding of wood near the summit that may be from a shrine, reportedly dated to 500 years old.

[snip] - cut to chase...

Conclusions

For the above and other reasons which space does not allow me to deal with, it appears that Bob Cornuke's "filters" have prevented him from dealing fairly with much information which does not fit into his "Ark in Iran" hypothesis. When such data is considered, it raises great doubt that he has found anything related to Noah's Ark on Takht-e Suleiman. I would love to see his find hold up to close scrutiny so it can be used as a witness to the world of the trustworthiness of the Bible, but if I – who, as a brother in Christ, am "on his team" – can come up with this many problems in identifying the find on Mount Suleiman with the Ark, we can be sure that an unfriendly, secular world full of dyed-in-the-wool skeptics will find many more reasons to reject it. The best I think he can hope for is that many will want to hear his story as an adventure tale – but that may be enough for him, an expected benefit of the aggressive promotion of the site at the beginning. I just hope that in view of the many problems that have come to light, he presents his audiences with the FULL story, warts and all.

[Foolsgold]

The great flood is reported in most of the ancient writings regardless of the religion.

[Sacajaweau]

Does the bible story mention Mrs. Ark? I came to believe as I grew older that it was an analogy about a man who went to the store to get a loaf of bread and never returned. (He left his wife.)

And if it is so, the women in the "Ark" neighborhood were gossiping and the men about town, the scribes, said he went on a fishing trip and never returned.

Makes sense to me.

[Sacajaweau]

One has to define the term "great flood" as the writer meant it to be.

Katrina was a "great flood". It wouldn't have been construed as much of anything if Louisiana wasn't populated.

Or picture a Tsunami as what they meant.

[Sopater]

I'd like to see your list.

We could start with the origin of life through natural processes.

Better yet, we could start with the origin of the building blocks of life such as organic molecules with the proper chirality for life to even exist.

Or, what about the ability to add genetic information in such leaps and bounds that some functional attribute is actually acquired by a particular life form.

Or the question of sexual reproduction. There are some interesting fairy tales that are used to explain how that came about as well.

Anyway, this thread is not about the miracles of evolution. It's about critically examining evidence for a possible location of Noah's Ark. The evidence for a global flood, such as marine fossils on mountain tops, stratification of earth layers, rapid burial of various lifeforms found all around the globe (fossils), and even an abundance of water covering the majority of the earth's surface make the global flood of Noah more believable than any of the stories that have been told regarding the few issues listed above.

[blowfish]

The great flood is reported in most of the ancient writings regardless of the religion.

Maybe it's because most cultures have experienced really big floods. It says nothing about a flood that would have involved ~10^9 cubic miles of water mysteriously appearing and disappearing.

[Tokra]

The evidence for a global flood, such as marine fossils on mountain tops, stratification of earth layers, rapid burial of various lifeforms found all around the globe (fossils), and even an abundance of water covering the majority of the earth's surface make the global flood of Noah more believable than any of the stories that have been told regarding the few issues listed above.

Maybe to you. However to me, and to most scientists, these things are evidence of plate tectonics, not Noah's Ark.

[Rudder]

Thanks!

A Feadship... ...it's not.

[Sopater]

Hey, it's all evidence; and all of the evidence supports the truth.

[Tokra]

Hey, it's all evidence; and all of the evidence supports the truth.

I agree 100%. All the evidence PROVES the theory of plate tectonics.

But please tell me, since the world was flooded more than 26,000 feet ABOVE sea level - where did all that water go when it receded?

[Dog Gone]

The origin of life on this planet and the evidence for Noah's Flood are two quite different issues. They are related only the minds of the biblical literalists who feel duty-bound to defend every chapter of the book of Genesis.

An evolutionist can believe in Noah's Flood, and a Creationist can believe the flood is an allegory.

There seems to be an underlying belief among the ark aficionados that the discovery of Noah's Ark would somehow validate everything else contained in Genesis, and that it would conclusively disprove evolution and every other secular concept in the world today.

It's just not so.

First, the discovery wouldn't be conclusive. The best they could hope for is compelling evidence that a ship was found high on a mountain somewhere in the region that dates to about 2000 BC. It would be impossible to prove that it wasn't built at that location as some religious monument. It would certainly spark a lively conversation, though.

If you want a discovery that would really shake up the theological and secular worlds, find me the other Ark. The Ark of the Covenant, containing the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God, a bowl of manna, and one other thing which I don't recall. Extra bonus points if you die when you touch it.

Now, that would be impressive.

[wideminded]

I heard that Noah's Ark was really a little 30 foot long river barge in which he loaded his family and some livestock and set sail along the Tigris River down to the Gulf to escape some localized flooding.

That sounds a lot more plausible. Apparently the story of Noah pre-dates the Bible. It has been found on older Sumerian clay tablets as part of the story of "Gilgamesh".

[rottndog]

Both pix look like an outcropping of basaltic rock.

When basalt cools, it forms some fairly symmetrical shapes. That's what the pictures appear to show. Here are some basalt formations

[rottndog]

The most likely source of the story.

[rottndog]

THE THEORY:

Columbia University geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman wondered what could explain the preponderance of flood legends. Their theory: As the Ice Age ended and glaciers melted, a wall of seawater surged from the Mediterranean into the Black Sea.

• During the Ice Age, Ryan and Pitman argue, the Black Sea was an isolated freshwater lake surrounded by farmland.

• About 12,000 years ago, toward the end of the Ice Age, Earth began growing warmer. Vast sheets of ice that sprawled over the Northern Hemisphere began to melt. Oceans and seas grew deeper as a result.

• About 7,000 years ago the Mediterranean Sea swelled. Seawater pushed northward, slicing through what is now Turkey.

• Funneled through the narrow Bosporus, the water hit the Black Sea with 200 times the force of Niagara Falls. Each day the Black Sea rose about six inches (15 centimeters), and coastal farms were flooded.

• Seared into the memories of terrified survivors, the tale of the flood was passed down through the generations and eventually became the Noah story.

[MonroeDNA]

My grilled cheese sandwich has christ on it.

Bidding starts at $5000.

[Sopater]

where did all that water go when it receded?

There is plenty speculation as to the possibilities, just as there is plenty of speculation as to how to interpret all of the evidence that supports many different theories.

Here's one possible explaination: CATASTROPHIC PLATE TECTONICS

Here is a forum that discusses the debate from a creationist point of view: Forum on catastrophic plate tectonics

[dangerdoc]

The staff of moses, if memory serves.

[Dog Gone]

I was thinking staff, but I thought it might be Aaron's for some reason. Wasn't sure, so I didn't venture the guess.

[blowfish]

Note that there's not a particle of physical evidence that ~10^9 cubic miles of water appeared and disappeared. I understand the theologically-motivated desire for this water, but there's no science to back it up.

The link you posted is very humorous, but contains no credible science that I can see...

[Sopater]

The link you posted is very humorous, but contains no credible science that I can see...

Thanks for pointing out my lack of understanding of what "credible science" is. Perhaps you can give me an example of some "credible science" that determines the age of the earth. If you want to throw in some humor as well, that will be fine.