Old Meets New
Genesis states that Noah’s ark’s final resting place to be the ‘mountains of Ararat.’
So, this leads many to believe that the ark should be found in the place that bears the same name today. Not a farfetched idea.
Before The Bible
Scholars are aware that the Bible is not the origin of the story of the flood.
Most believe that it came from Mesopotamia, which modern-day Iraq and Iran, where there are 9(!) known versions of a massive global flood that destroys everything.
The Famous Biblical Story
Regardless of all of the question marks about the story’s accuracy, it's one of the most notorious tales.
According to the story God was fed up with the wickedness and corruption of the people that he decided to destroy the world, only sparing Noah, his family, and some animal species.
A Story Told By Many
The story of Noah and the ark has high significance in Jewish, Christian, Islam and Baha’i religions. There are many similarities between their versions of the tale, but interpretations have subtle differences among the different cultures.
For example, Christian scholars compare Noah’s salvation to baptism, and Muslims believe that the ark was more like a traditional ship “shaped like a bird’s belly.” Baha’is on the other hand, consider the story to be purely symbolic.
Still Doesn't Add Up
One Oxford University lecturer in ancient history, Nicholas Purcell, has expressed his skepticism in regard to the tale.
“If floodwaters covered Eurasia 12,000ft [3,700 meters] deep in 2,800BC, how did the complex societies of Egypt and Mesopotamia, already many centuries old, keep right on regardless?” he said. Good question.