The hauntingly mysterious Mt.
Ararat, located in Turkey
I recently read a fascinating article in “Midweek”, a newspaper-type of publication in Hawaii... the article was about a devout Catholic man named, Daniel McGivern, who lives in Hawaii Kai, a town that’s about 20 minutes away from where I live in Kailua (Oahu). Not very exciting, one might think, at first… until one learns that Mr. McGivern claims to be 98% certain that he knows where the remnants of Noah’s Ark can be found. Yes, that’s right… the actual Ark from the ancient Biblical account of the epic flood that once nearly destroyed all of mankind.
According to the Midweek article, McGivern, since 2003, has spent over half a million of his own personal funds researching the location of the Ark and funding a 2004 expedition to Mt. Ararat in Turkey, where he believes the remains of the enormous boat still exist. Unfortunately, during the expedition, his group’s efforts to scale the mountain were thwarted by Turkish government officials, who wouldn’t allow them access to the Ark’s reported resting site on a high slope of the mountain.
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| Mr. Daniel McGivern speaking at a press conference |
Despite the disappointing setback, McGivern hasn’t given up on his personal goal of finding the elusive Biblical relic… he is still conducting his search, but using a different, very modern method: he has since employed satellite companies to utilize their high-tech photo-taking capabilities to try and capture satellite still-images of the Ark on Mt. Ararat. He claims to have captured several compelling photos, but none were included in the newspaper article that I read in Midweek.
Personally, I too, am a believer in the Ark/Ararat stories… and I commend Mr. McGivern for all his efforts. The fact is… the idea that the Ark is on Mt. Ararat is nothing new - the Bible states in the Book of Genesis, 8:4, that the Ark really did land there after the waters of the flood subsided: “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.”
Throughout the centuries locals living in the vicinity of Mt. Ararat have significantly referred to the area as the “Mountain of Noah”. Many villagers - including a group of monks - have testified to having caught glimpses of a massive rectangular structure protruding from a glacier on the eastern slope of the mountain. A few village elders and shepherds have even claimed to have visited the site as recently as a few decades ago, and to have seen the Ark up close and touched its wooden walls… but according to McGivern, the exact location of the Ark was bombed in recent times by order of an atheistic Turkish military official and the structure was buried under boulders and rubble, which has made the search even more difficult.
An artist's rendition of Noah's Ark,
as described by witnesses who claim
to have seen the massive rectangular
structure for themselves.
Being 72-years-old and having a heart condition, Daniel McGivern knows that it's highly unlikely that he'll ever be able to climb Mt. Ararat, much less attempt a return trip to Turkey… but with the technology that he’s using today, he continues to be hopeful that he’ll somehow find definite proof of the Ark’s existence; proof that he admirably believes with a sincere and living faith, will help atheists to “convert to a belief in God”. So let us wish him our very best… and may the good Lord bless him and his efforts to uncover the truth about Noah’s lost Ark.
Has there been any updates about Noahs Ark?
ReplyDeleteI personally met Mr. McGivern about 9 years ago and he informed me at the time that he was aware of an expedition being planned for the near future to climb Mt. Ararat to find the Ark. Due to his advanced age, however, he wasn't going to be a part of it. I haven't seen him since so have no further updates.
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