My Seventh-day Adventist neighbour, Lois, while shopping at the thrift store purchased the book “In Search of Noah’s Ark” by Dave Balsiger & Charles E. Sellier JR., Copyrighted 1976.
By chance I mentioned to her that I was working on a poem about Noah and the flood; she then said that she just found the book mentioned above and asked me if I wanted to read it. I was thrilled about what has been investigated, seriously searched out and found about the ark, that has fascinated people for centuries.
The book begins with the Bible record and the quest for its historical reliability, scientific evidence of a universal flood, etc.
It documents the earliest sightings of the ark, the many attempts, expeditions and dangers in the search of this ancient great vessel, the ark of Noah.
Each chapter ends with footnotes with the original source of documents, writers, expeditions, etc.
It is an honest investigation, fascinating to read and well worth for anyone interested to try to find this book, probably out of print, but may possibly be searched for in antique book stores, thrift stores and online.
For thousands of years the story of the flood has interested people and the ark’s landing in the mountains of Ararat, Big Ararat and Small Ararat, in Armenia, today’s Turkey.
The landing area was called “The Place of Descend.”
Josephus, the Jewish Historian, writes that Beresus the Chaldean says that people later in time carried pieces of bitumen off the ark and used it mostly for amulets—then already again idol worshipers, to ward off evil spirits.
Noah settled at the base of the mountain and it is said he had built a town called Ahora that was completely destroyed in 1840 by an earthquake. Arghuri, another name for Ahora means “the planting of vine”, and historians claim that wine-growing in Europe originated from this area, where Noah did plant a vineyard.
Many legends surround Mt. Ararat and had attracted people from all places to search or climb to find Noah’s ark.
But the climate situation today is not the same as it was after Noah’s time.
There was no snow or ice for ages, but over time a drastic climate change created a totally different and hostile environment, engulfing the ark in snow and ice, making the spot inaccessible.
Today the area is permanently covered by glaciers and snow. The summit is rarely visible, except on some clear early mornings. But at about 10 A.M. misty, fog-like clouds set in, obscuring the upper mountain, and in the afternoon, a severe thunderstorm hits the lower levels, while higher elevations have a blizzard.
This happens because Ararat is the only glacial covered mountain in the area; any evaporation from the ground condenses, then by midafternoon creates these stormy conditions.
The two summits, Big Ararat is 16,984 feet, Little Ararat 12,806 feet high.
In late summer Little Ararat can be without snow. But Big Ararat’s glacial ice cap is over 200 feet thick, starting at the 13,000–13,500 foot level.
In the night the temperature plummets well below zero, with winds of about 80 mph (130 km). During the day the temperature rises slightly above freezing.
Often thunder-like noises can be heard; this is an echo reaction created by winds almost 150 mph (240 km), and huge boulders crashing down the slopes. Climbers have been killed by such, because they could not see them through the fogs and mists on the mountain. No trees grow up there for shelter and campfire wood.
Water is lacking for the melting snow is immediately absorbed through the porous rocks down to underground streams. Deep crevasses 100 feet (30 meters) deep at snow covered elevations, are not realized until too late.
Truly this mountain is treacherous, hostile to any climber. High on top there are poisonous snakes, bears, and vicious, wolf-like man-attacking dogs.
There are treacherous, loose, porous rocks, making the climber slip two steps backwards, for any three forward. It is not possible to drive in a piton anywhere.
Besides, most dangerous massive snow and rock avalanches are triggered by just the voices of people.
Mt. Ararat is a very unusual volcano. It has no crater on top, but has such on the southward side.
There existed no record of volcanic activity or major earthquakes before 1840.
But, on July 2, 1840, before sunset the ground was shaking on Mt. Ararat, fissures appeared on its sides, gas fumes bursting out, hurling down stones. The ice cap was shattered, the village of Ahora disappeared and a monastery which had existed there for 800 years. From 200 dwellers only 100 survived (another report says, no one survived).
We may wonder why it is so difficult to get to Noah’s ark. Does God have a reason for this, or is it Satan, who does not want to have this precious vessel fully discovered?
For God nothing is impossible. He can melt the snow and solve the political and military hindering situation there today quickly. But it could also be, that God is waiting for the right moment and right situation to reveal the truth and evidence of the flood to all the world in the time when His truth and law will be proclaimed with a loud cry over all the world.
In the next issue we shall hear about the first sightings and attempts of many expeditions in the search of Noah’s Ark.
To be continued.
Edda Tedford, Canada