Ark Research Project:
Search for Noah's Ark

Ark Research Project Newsletter - June 1998

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INTRODUCTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The theme of this newsletter must be, "Hasn't the Ark been found already?" This was an overwhelmingly common response to the news of an expedition.

According to Charles Berlitz in his book, "The Lost Ship of Noah" (PP 51-61), in 1959 the Turkish Air Force photographed an object 17 miles away from the peak of Mount Ararat. The object was positioned in the foot hills at about 6,000 feet. The peak of Mount Ararat is approximately 17,000 feet. In 1960, it was investigated by a team of researchers namely Turkish officer, Captain Durupinar, after whom the site is named.

Charles E. Sellinger wrote in his book, "The Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark" (PP 275-293), that it is also known as the Wyatt-Fasold site or the buried Ark. The site was dynamited, measured, studied by radar and analyzed. The searchers found a direct connection to the Gilgamesh Epic, not the bible, because the boat appeared to be a "ship of reeds".

On November 6, 1994, David Fasold recants his position about the Durupinar site with this quote in the Australian Sun-Herald:

"He [Fasold] said, 'I believe this may be the oldest running hoax in history. I think we have found what the ancients said was the Ark, but this structure is not Noah's Ark.'"

Additionally, The Observer (London) January 16, 1994 article, "'Arkologists' claim to have found Noah's Ark", reported that, "The site is directly below the mountain of Al Judi, named in the Qur'an as the Ark's resting place." The news article incorrectly identified the location of the Durupinar site. However, this sent shock waves throughout the Muslim community because "Al Judi" or "the heights" is mentioned in the Qur'an. Mount Judi recognized by Muslims at "Al Judi" is 200 miles away from the peak of Mount Ararat, check your map. The article was very misleading and confusing.

Now, onto the peak of Mount Ararat. The bible states, "the mountains of Ararat". For the Muslim readers, the Qur'an states, "the heights". Neither document states "the peak of Mount Ararat". However, this is where more "true" and "false" sightings are recorded.

I have seen photos from areas near the peak of Mount Ararat that "had to be" Noah's Ark. However, when the object in question is viewed from another angle it is nothing but rock and/or ice. These kind of "false" sightings are very common.

There are other "true" sightings by George Hagopian, Ed Davis and others. Additionally, there is very strong sentiment from many I have talked to that the US government has such photos. I have been in touch with a gentleman who saw such a photo but could not keep it or make a copy. All of these sightings point to the peak of Mount Ararat at about 14,000 feet. Also, from the locals around the Ararat region of Turkey come various stories of the Ark at or near the Ahora Gorge. And it is rumored that the PKK have on occasion used the remains of the Ark as refuge from the cold near the peak. There is more but not for this newsletter. See the listed Web sights for more details.

So the answer to the question is: 'The Durupinar site continues to provoke questions and the peak of Mount Ararat provokes the imagination.' We believe Ark has not been found and our team will continue to search as long as we are able.

Finally, the Web is a powerhouse of information. Study this subject for yourself:

http://www.arksearch.com/naexped.htm http://www.arksearch.com/najudi.htm http://www.tentmaker.org/WAR/../arp/../arp/index.shtml http://www.anchorstone.com/wyatt http://www.biblerevelations.org/ronwyatt.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YOUR THOUGHTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words of encouragement, shared interest and enthusiasm are great ways to share your thoughts with us. However, due to the volume of email, it is nearly impossible to "personally" respond to all letters. If you would like a response from your email, please let us know and we will try our best to do so accordingly. Here are a few letters straight and mostly unedited from you:

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"I find the information on Noah's Ark so exciting! And have been interested in it for a few years. My husband and I minister, counsel and speak to a group of young people in the Juvenile Detension Center each week here in Florida. I have mentioned that to them that there are pictures of the Ark on Mt Ararat, and they are so interested. It makes the Word of the Lord come alive to them. It serves as an example to them that God IS REAL and His word is true. I thank you for your effort in making this information available. I am printing some of the photographs and the map for the group that we will be speaking to tomorrow. Thank You Again and you can know your efforts are being used to go and tell the good news of the gospel. Please add my name to your list to receive your newletter." D 5/14/98

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"Excited for you about this project! Glad to hear that you have been encouraged and kept your website. I like it so much that I linked it to friends and have listed it as a favorite link on my homepage.

Keep us posted!

Blessings in Christ" LD 5/14/98

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"Thank you so much for sending me this newsletter. I am done writing my paper on Noah's Ark (I got an A!! [And] Yes, your site was extremely helpful in getting that A!! ) but I certainly have a continuing interest in the subject. Congratulations on being invited to go to Mt. Ararat with the expedition next summer! What a wonderful opportunity! I look forward to future newsletters and will keep you and the expedition in my prayers." BJ 5/14/98

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"... I'll be following your work with interest. However I think you people should realize there is something there on Mt. Ararat but it is only a barn. And in no way verifies any part of the Bible." JBP 5/14/98

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"your website itself is a class act. now, i'm not trying to be a wise guy, but why do you believe that finding Noah's Ark is such an important thing to do? i'm a committed Messianic Jew (A "Jewish-Christian" who hasn't totally lost his Jewish idenity) and although it could be interesting to find the remains of the Ark, their discovery isn't going to have any real impact on my faith." Z 5/14/98

Editor's note: We'll address this last letter in the July issue. Let us know why you think the Ark should or should not be found.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FROM THE DIRECTOR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The project to locate Noah's Ark is moving forward. Much work has to be done before the project's goal can be met.

Our business manager James Lee, has recently opened our bank account in the ministry's name and is currently responding to the donors by sending out tax exempt receipts.

Mark Jenkins, our video director is busy planning for his role in the project. He has prepared a special equipment list and is preparing a promotional video for potential donors.

Our security consultant, Wayne Bonsell, has access to encrypted coded information about traveling to foreign countries from the State Department. Our ministry has received this valuable information.

Bob DeVaul, our chief photographer, is busy making plans for his role. He plans to use Infra-Red and UV photography as well as the standard mode.

John Morris is furnishing us with his first hand experience in climbing Mt. Ararat for he has been their 13 times. John is our technical consultant. Much practical information has been supplied through his experience.

Bob Tamplet is our helicopter pilot with much experience in flying in this kind of terrain. He is lining up our contingencies for this phase of the operation.

David King is our technical assistant to help in the various phases of documenting the discovery both scientifically and photographically. David has paleontological expertise as he assisted the director in a successful excavation of a large dinosaur in 1989.

The director, Professor James Hall, is presently engaged in fund raising. As the director, I have the responsibility to raise our budgetary support which is very ambitious. To successfully accomplish this project to locate Noah's Ark, I want our team to have access to all of the equipment and technology that is available to us. Securing all of this is very expensive. I do not want to let any stone unturned. The proper scientific, video, and photographic analysis is an absolute essential. This will mean much equipment which will have to be airlifted to the site.

Here is my schedule at the moment:

1. July 28-29 Cornerstone TV, Pittsburgh, PA.."Getting Together", talk show for Ark Ministry and taping 5 half-hour series on creation.

2. July 31-Aug 1st Alliance Church, Lexington, KY, 3 day seminar on creation. Rev. Ron Gifford.

3. Sept. ( Date to be scheduled) Thomas Road Baptist Church. Ark Ministry Dr. Jerry Falwell.

4. Sept. 25-27 Valley Alliance, Nelliston-Ft. Plain, NY. Area wide creation seminar. Rev. Lee Pelletier

5. Oct. 10 AWANA Regional Conf VA Beach, VA. Ark Ministry.

6. Oct. 21-25 North Mar Alliance, Warren, OH. Conf. with John Ankerburg, TV, Radio interviews, Prison Ministry. Rev. John Temple Ravena Alliance Church, OH Creation Seminar. Rev. Mike Bilsza.

7. Nov. 16-20 Temple Baptist Church, Tallahassee, FL. TV- taping .Ark Ministry Rev. Randy Ray.

8. Toccoa Falls Bible College, Toccoa, GA, Taping Radio programs for Ark Ministry. Dr. Paul Alford, President.

The ministry solicits your prayers for this project. If any would wish to contribute to the project, remember your donation is tax exempt." Send your contribution to the address listed at the bottom of this newsletter

Prof. James Hall, Director

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OTHER NEWS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David Fasold

As mentioned above, David Fasold has been a lively and instrumental Ark researcher. I was told that he passed away on April 26, 1998. His accomplishments and controversy will long be remembered in these efforts to continue the search for Noah's Ark. You can see a sample of his position in a recent letter from him at http://www.arksearch.com/naexped.htm.

CIA Declassified Photos

Steve Largent, Oklahoma State Representative, has been enlisted to assist in expediting the release of the declassified CIA photos and other pending FOIA requests.

Other Expeditions

There are teams forming an expedition August 1998. As I receive information, I will post their efforts here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LAST THOUGHT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In his book, "Just Build the Ark and the Animals Will Come", David Heller asks the question, "What did the rainbow symbolize for God in His communication with future generations?"

"That God was a supporter of drawing and the arts.", Clare, age 10

"It showed that God liked creating things more than He likes to destroy them. He don't like that at all, but sometimes He has to.", Reid, age 7

"Rainbows always mean: 'Everything is going to be okay from now on.' ", Janet, age 10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SPECIAL OFFER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ark Research Project has produced a "photo montage" of the 1949 US Air Force Ararat Anomaly. A beautiful reproduction of the black and white photograph can be yours for a $5 offering (tax deductible) which will help support Ark Research Project and their efforts for the August 1999 expedition to Mount Ararat.

Please send your offering to:

Ark Research Project PO Box 4312 Lynchburg, VA 24502

Also, don't forget to stop by our Web site [http://www.arksearch.com/arp] to learn more and how you can help our efforts.

We are looking for corporate sponsors~~~. any ideas or connections that you can offer would be deeply appreciated. Contact James Hall (profhall@cwix.com) with any information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE WEB ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most of the information presented here about Ark Research Project is available at our Web site:

http://www.arksearch.com/arp

In time, we plan to revise this address to reflect the organizational name. For now, it provides a means to allow the world to see the efforts of the team and organization.

OTHER WEB SITES

The Search For Noah's Ark by Matthew Kneisler http://www.arksearch.com

Noah's Ark Home Page by BJ Corbin http://www.noahsarksearch.com

The Noah's Ark Project by Douglas Peterson http://user.mc.net/dougp/noahs_ark/

Noah's Ark Website And Shipyard by David O'Neil http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/6039/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE PURPOSE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ark Research Project was an officially recognized United States organization in February 1998, when it received non-profit tax-exempt status from the IRS. The organizational purpose is to, "conduct research into locating the legendary Noah's Ark of the Bible. The revelation of the existence of such an archaeological and religious object would be of utmost scientific, religious, and educational value to the people of the United States and the World."

The Ark Research Project team is planing an expedition to Mount Ararat in northeastern Turkey in August 1999. Team members are listed below.

James Hall, Director (profhall@cwix.com)
James Lee, Business Manager
Mark Jenkins, Video Director
Robert Tamplet, Aeronautical Technician (btamplet@visi.net)
John Morris, Consultant & Geologist
Robert DeVaul, Photographer
Matthew Kneisler, Technical Engineer (mkneisler@arksearch.com)
G. Wayne Bonsell, Security Consultant (gwbonsell@redrose.net)
David King, Technician Assistant (dking@tbci.org)

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