Has Noah's Ark Been Discovered?

A group of Chinese and Turkish evangelical explorers say wooden remains they have discovered on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey are the remains of Noah's Ark, depicted here under construction in a 1493 drawing.  (Nuremberg Chronicle / Wikipedia)

A group of Chinese and Turkish evangelical explorers say wooden remains they have discovered on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey are the remains of Biblical artifact Noah's Ark. (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

Yeung Wing-Cheung, from the Noah's Ark Ministries International research team that made the discovery, said: "It's not 100 percent that it is Noah's Ark, but we think it is 99.9 percent that this is it." (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

Local Turkish officials will ask the central government in Ankara to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status so the site can be protected while a major archaeological dig is conducted. (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

There have been several reported discoveries of the remains of Noah's Ark over the years, most notably a find by archaeologist Ron Wyatt in 1987. However the team is convinced that this the actual artifact. (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

Many believe that the discovery that has been made is almost certainly the remnants of Noah's Ark. (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

The group claims that carbon dating proves the relics are 4,800 years old, meaning they date to around the same time the ark was said to be afloat. (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

Many believe that Mount Ararat, the highest point in the region, is where the ark and her inhabitants ran aground. (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

Dutch Ark researcher Gerrit Aalten was called upon to verify the legitimacy of the find. “The significance of this find is that for the first time in history the discovery of Noah’s Ark is well documented and revealed to the worldwide community,” Aalten said. (Noah’s Ark Ministries International). (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

Team member Panda Lee described visiting the site. “In October 2008, I climbed the mountain with the Turkish team. At an elevation of more than 4,000 meters, I saw a structure built with plank-like timber." (Noah’s Ark Ministries International). (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

Items found during the discovery are placed in a glass case and explained during a press conference (Noah’s Ark Ministries International). (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

Small pieces of wood and other trinkets are seen on display at a press conference after being taken from the discovery site. (Noah’s Ark Ministries International)

Mt. Ararat in eastern Turkey has long been suspected as the final resting place of the craft by evangelicals and biblical literalists hoping to validate Biblical stories (Noah’s Ark Ministries International).

Panda Lee continued to describe the scene.  "I could see broken wood fragments embedded in a glacier, and some 20 meters long. I surveyed the landscape and found that the wooden structure was permanently covered by ice and volcanic rocks,"  Lee said. (Noah’s Ark Ministries International).

The discovery of Noah's Ark is potentially one of the biggest archaeological finds in the world (Noah’s Ark Ministries International).