Posted on 08/27/2002 5:12:41 AM PDT by Tancred
Flood Expedition Inspires 'Noah's Ark' in Bulgaria Tue Aug 27, 7:17 AM ET
SOFIA, Bulgaria (Reuters) - An expedition looking to prove that the great biblical flood occurred in the Black Sea has inspired Bulgarian entrepreneurs to build a replica of Noah's Ark aimed at luring tourists.
The wooden vessel, 368 feet long, will shelter exotic animals while actors play the biblical figures of Noah and his family, project manager Nikolai Kanchev said Monday.
The Ark will be built near the Black Sea resort of Slanchev Bryag and open for visitors next year, Kanchev told Reuters.
Last year U.S. geologist Robert Ballard, famous for having discovered the remains of the sunken Titanic in 1985, headed a joint U.S.-Bulgarian expedition which combed the Black Sea for traces of a society living there before the great flood.
Another expedition is scheduled for next year.
The lost civilization is believed to have been submerged by the Black Sea at the time of a massive flood 7,600 years ago, which transformed a stillwater lake into the saltwater sea.
The Bible says that God brought down the flood to punish sinners. All life on the planet was destroyed except for Noah, who saved himself, his family and a pair of each species of animal by building the Ark in which they all survived.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.