Has Noah’s Ark Been Found?
Christian Archaeology Team Believes It Has Found the Ark

June 29, 2006 – – A team of Texas archaeologists believe they may have
located the remains of Noah’s Ark in Iran’s Elburz mountain range.

"I can’t imagine what it could be if it is not the Ark," said Arch
Bonnema of the Bible Archaeology Search and Exploration (B.A.S.E)
Institute, a Christian archeology organization dedicated to looking
for biblical artifacts.

Bonnema and the other B.A.S.E. Institute members hiked for seven hours
in the mountains northwest of Tehran, climbing 13,000 feet before
making the apparent discovery.

"We got up to this object, nestled in the side of a hill," said Robert
Cornuke, a member of the B.A.S.E. Institute. "We found something that
has my heart skipping a beat."

At first, they didn’t dare to hope it was the biblical boat.

"It wasn’t impressive at first," Cornuke said. "Certainly didn’t think
it to be Noah’s Ark. But when we got close, we were amazed. It looked
similar to wood."

In addition, some B.A.SE. members say, their discovery didn’t look
very distinctive.

"It looked like the deck of any boat today," Bonnema said.

Long Search for the Ark The Bible places the Ark in the mountains of
Ararat, a mountain range theologians believe spans hundreds of miles,
which the team says is consistent with their find in Iran.

The Bible also describes the Ark’s dimensions as being 300 cubits by
50 cubits — about the size of a small aircraft carrier. The
B.A.S.E. Institute’s discovery is similar in size and scale.

"It is provocative to think that this could be the lost ark of Noah,"
Cornuke said Throughout history, people have been searching for the
Ark to help prove God’s existence.

"There’s this idea, if we can prove that the ark existed then we can
prove that the story existed, and more importantly, we can prove that
God existed," said Bruce Feiler, author of "Where God Was Born."

Previous scholars have searched for the Ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey.

"Czar Nicholas, actually, in 1916 sent two expeditions to photograph
it on top of Mount Ararat," said Feiler.

One former U.S. president, Feiler said, looked for it in the mountains
of Iran.

"There is a story that Jimmy Carter, on his way to visit the Shah of
Iran in 1977, purposefully flew over it," he said.

As recently as March, researcher claimed to have satellite photos that
proved the presence of Ark remains. The B.A.S.E institute hopes the
physical evidence they’ve brought back from Iran will hold the answer
to this enduring mystery.

"People will always be looking for it, always be skeptical, always be
excited of the search," Cornuke said. "But I think we found something
here that’s very notable."

The B.A.S.E. Institute’s samples are being examined at labs in Texas
and Florida. B.A.S.E officials concede that there would be no way to
conclusively prove that their finding is actually Noah’s Ark.

So the hunt goes on. The biggest hurdle in identifying Noah’s Ark
comes down to "gopher wood." The Bible says the Ark was made of gopher
wood but no one knows what it is.

ABC News’ Chris Cuomo reported this story for "Good Morning America."

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