Early 1985- A New Researcher Wants to Join Ron

After seeing the boat-shaped object and being present when the first metal detector scans were done, Col. Irwin agreed that the site needed to be thoroughly investigated. And although he was dedicated to completely searching Mt. Ararat, he was always helpful to Ron if there was anything he could do. Since he is deceased, I want to be sure and stress that he never said he believed the site was the ark. He did say that he found the site intriguing, and that before he made any conclusions, he wanted more scientific evidence. He died before Ron could supply him with the accumulated evidences. But unlike others who would come along later, he never tried to sabotage the research. In fact, he was willing to do whatever he could to help Ron.

When Jim got a call from a man who was interested in searching for the ark in a different location than Mt. Ararat, he referred the man to Ron. This man had called Jim with the idea of searching for the ark in the lava flows at the foot of Mt. Ararat. He said he didn't believe the ark could have possibly landed on Mt. Ararat and survived a volcanic mountain. If it survived at all, he believed it would not be on the mountain. He wanted to search in the lava flows with the relatively new sub-surface interface radar, a ground penetrating radar system which could show objects beneath the earth's surface. Jim gave this man Ron's phone number.

This man was David Fasold and he immediately called Ron. Ron told him about the boat-shaped object and all the research that had been done to the present time. David was very excited and wanted to go as soon as possible. When Ron had told David about the metal detector scan results, Dave mentioned that he had a new type of metal detector that was capable of discerning types of metal, which would be very useful. He also told Ron about the sub-surface interface radar which would reveal the remains below the surface.

Dave was a former merchant marine, a marine salvor and treasure hunter. He kept up with the latest technology and was just what the research needed at this time. His excitement and enthusiasm were just what Ron needed, and they were about to embark on some serious research.

Plans were made- and on March 20, 1985, Ron and Dave arrived in Istanbul.

March 1985- Turkey with David Fasold & Samran Al Moteri

Ron and Dave Fasold arrived in Turkey on March 20, 1985. Meeting them there was Samran Al Moteri, a Saudi Arabian prince who had come to visit Ron earlier in Madison, Tennessee. He had heard about Ron's claim that Mt. Sinai was in his region of Saudi by some of Ron's captors in 1984 and he wanted Ron to show him the mountain.

Perhaps to check out Ron's veracity, he agreed to see this so-called "Noah's Ark" and then said he would arrange for Ron and Dave to enter his country. But he was quite ill when they found him in Ankara. With him ill, the men couldn't leave for Dogubeyazit right away.

Meeting with Turkish Archaeologist, Ekrem Akurgal

So while they waited in Ankara for him to get better, Mine Unler, one of Ron's liaisons with the Turkish government, arranged for a meeting with Dr. Ekrem Akurgal, Turkey's leading archaeologist, world famous for his work on the Hittite excavations throughout Turkey.

VIDEO: Ron's conversation with Ekrem Akurgal, Turkey's most famous archaeologist

1984- MAJOR EVENT Turkish Archaeologists Investigate the Boat-Shaped Site

Ron saw that things were happening fast. In October of 1984, the Turks had sent their own archaeologists to investigate the "boat-shaped object" and Ron had loaned them one of the White's ferro-magnetic metal detectors. Their expedition had yielded very positive results, as one of them showed Ron their field notes. They had retrieved several 4 foot long metal spikes which were still intact, but which Ron never got to actually see, as he was told they were taken to the Museum of Mines and Minerals in Ankara.

They had also gotten the same pattern of metal readings that Ron had gotten. Dr. Akurgal was provided this information and when Ron spoke with him, in a conversation which Dave videoed, he stated "it is, at any rate, a ship". A professed atheist, he would later state in an interview that it was Noah's Ark. When asked why, he simply replied, "because there is no other explanation."

Things were going incredibly well, Ron thought. When Dr. Akurgal presented him with a copy of his book, "Ancient Ruins of Turkey", he wrote, "To Mr. Ron Wyatt, Congratulations for the successful discoveries". Not only that, but Mine, now his liaison, was arranging a meeting for Ron later in Ankara in which he would meet with all of the pertinent ministries at one time, explaining his research. Things had come a long way in the last 7 months, thanks to Jim Irwin.

Col. Jim Irwin had introduced him to the Guleks, at whose house he had met both Orhan Baser and Mine Unler, and he had referred Dave Fasold to him. And although Ron had just met Dave, he could already tell that Dave meant business, whatever he did. And he was already excited about the site, even though he hadn't seen it yet.

Heading to the Site in March 1985

Finally, Samran got better and they flew to Erzurum where they hired a young taxi driver to take them to Dogubeyazit. This young man, Dilaver Avci, would become a trusted friend and ally to both Ron and Dave. When they arrived at the ark site, the excitement of both Dave and Samran was evident. Since there was still snow on the ground, it was covered to a great extent, which accentuated the "boat-shaped site".

Dave had brought both a pulse-induction metal detector, as well as his molecular frequency generator (MFG), which he demonstrated by picking up the metal readings from great distances. The conventional metal detectors were only effective when within a few feet at the most.

Samran stood on the ark and spoke in Arabic, reading the Koran, while Dave videoed him for his friends back home.

VIDEO: Samran reading from the Koran and telling that Noah's Ark is at Uzengili Village:

Next Ron took them to see the drogue stones in the village that he and the boys had discovered back in 1977. Dave could not contain his excitement- while Ron was a believer in the ark of the Bible, Dave was a believer in the ark of the Gilgamesh epic and he was familiar with the Babylonian connections evident on some of the stones. One example was the ziggurat carved on one of the stones which they both concluded might represent the tower at Babel.

Grave Robbers- Devastated

Everyone was happy until Ron took them to see the tombstones and house he believed was Noah's and his wife's. When they got there, the house was now reduced to a pile of loose rock and the tombstones were gone. And right where they once had stood was a partially filled hole- the grave had been robbed. Ron was heartsick.

This was the reason Ron would refer to the village where the ancient house and all the drogue stones as Kazan, which was the next village over. When I wrote my book, "The Boat-Shaped Site on Doomsday Mountain", I, too, referred to it as Kazan. However, the name is Arzap. He wanted to keep unscrupulous people away, but today, it is so well-known, I will call it Arzap. it's true name.

VIDEO: Ron's 8mm film of the first time he saw the empty grave of Noah's wife, when he took Dave Fasold there:

Finally, they headed back to Ankara to the Kent Hotel. Samran was convinced that Ron was reliable and arranged for all 3 of them to fly to Saudi.  Ron was thrilled! Things were looking bright not only for Noah's Ark, but he got to actually return to Mt. Sinai legally. He finally had someone to work with on the ark who believed in it as much as he did, and who was in a business that required him to be familiar with the electronic equipment that was so vital to the research.

Meeting in Ankara after Return from Saudi Arabia

When they returned to Turkey from Saudi, Dave was anxious to get home and left as soon as he could. Ron arranged to stay 4 more days so he could attend the meeting Mine, his liaison, had arranged. He met with all the ministries and presented his case for Noah's Ark. Their response was very positive and he was assured that they would cooperate with him as much as they could.

Dave had already stated that he wanted to bring over sub-surface interface radar and scan the site. This radar system would reveal any structure beneath the surface, much like a cat scan. The radar can be tuned to various frequencies which reflect various depths. Therefore, by scanning the same area numerous times, each time using a different frequency, a rough 3-dimensional picture can be constructed without the accuracy today's systems have. However, the radar and an operator are very expensive to rent, and the idea of purchasing a system was out of the question. But, it had to be the next step. Excavation was still denied. So Ron returned home.

Back to Ankara a Month Later

little less than a month later, Ron returned to Ankara for more meetings, arranging for permits. Even employing the metal detectors required a permit and once the permit was issued in Ankara, it had to then be taken to Agri, the capital of the eastern region, where it was then processed.

And this is where many problems come up. Ankara is the head of the government, but the provincial governments like to think that they are, in fact, the final word. Ankara is a very long way from Agri and Dogubeyazit. If any problems arise with a permit in Agri, it could mean many days of costly waiting and travel back to Ankara without the assurance that the problem would be solved. So Ron spent a lot of time in Ankara.

A Los Alamos Scientist Calls

Around this time, Ron had received another call, this time from one of the scientists at Los Alamos. Jim Irwin had sent the specimen Ron had given him that came from the strange site above the ark site to Los Alamos and the scientist who ran the test had some questions for Ron. He wanted to know about the area the specimen came from because it revealed space age alloys. Ron invited him to come and see for himself. To his surprise, John Baumgardner, a geophysicist from Los Alamos, accepted his invitation and in June of 1985, John, Dave and Ron went to the ark site.

 June 1985- Plotting the Metal Detector Scans

Using the 3 types of metal detectors, they did a scan of the site. At each metal reading, they placed a rock, and then connected each rock with plastic tapes. Before long, the shape of a ship could be seen in the pattern of the ribbons. John Baumgardner, skeptical at first, soon began to show his excitement. After all, it was the metal analysis of the specimen Jim Irwin had sent him that had caught his attention.

Another Los Alamos scientist would later tell Ron that they suspected that perhaps a satellite had crashed in the region and that Ron, ignorant of these matters, mistook it for Noah's Ark. John would be a great asset to the team if he ever became convinced. At least that is what Ron and Dave thought. He had financial backing and his credentials were certainly impressive.

Metal Flakes in the Site

At one point, when they were doing metal detector scans, John pointed out some metal flakes protruding out from the site of one of the metal readings. "I'd save those frames", he tells a jubilant Dave Fasold on video.

Video: John Baumgardner pointing out metal flakes on the ark:

Ron and Dave had an agreement- since it was so time consuming and nearly impossible to work and video everything at the same time, the 2 agreed to share their footage, an agreement Dave has honored as well as Ron. When the trip ended, the 3 were all in full agreement that this was Noah's Ark and that radar scans were imperative.

VIDEO: Dr. Baumgardner here expresses his excitement and belief that it is the remains of Noah's Ark:

June 1985 Analyses Proved Man-Made Structure!

Several of the specimens from the June expedition were analyzed by Dr. Baumgardner at Los Alamos. The semiquantitative analysis of specimen JB-103 (that he had handwritten “iron bracket” sample on the first page of the analysis), was performed on 12 locations. Eight locations showed FE203, or iron oxide, at percentages ranging from 91.84% to 60%. The eight highest were: 91.84%, 91.26%, 89.39%, 89.14%, 82.39%, 76.74%, 76.14% and 60.00%. There was no doubt that this was not “natural.

The specimen designated “rock” appeared to be similar to the one Col. Irwin had sent to Dr. Baumgardner on Ron’s behalf in 1984. The semi-quantitative analysis of this specimen showed extremely high levels of MNO, or manganese, the highest being 87.26%, with others at 80.64% and 60.8%. Of interest was the fact that it also contained AL203, or aluminum oxide, as high as 27% in one location and titanium as high as 74.26% in another location. Dr. Baumgardner wrote “tailings of aluminum aloid production” on one page of the analysis.

This was rock solid evidence of man-made objects and structures. One or two occurrences could have been coincidental, but the total evidences they had all seen were beyond the realm of possibility, in their collective opinion. Everyone agreed to return in August. The tentative plan was to arrange for radar scans which would reveal the interior of the object.

August 1985- The Annual Ark Hunters Gathering in Dogubeyazit

The next trip would be in August 1985, the time of the annual "ark hunters'" pilgrimage to Mt. Ararat. John's financier, a California attorney, agreed to fund the venture. Dave arranged for Tom Fenner of GSSI, the manufacturer of the radar equipment, to come over with an SIR-8 system, and then he arranged for ABC's "20/20" to cover the event at the last minute with his friend, Jim Burroughs, as cameraman.

Arrangements Made for Proper Documentation

John's financier came along with their own film crew as well as two other scientists from Los Alamos. John also arranged to do interviews with the 700 Club on CBN although he did not tell Ron and Dave he had done this. It turned out that Dave had also contacted CNB but they had brushed him off. Apparently Dr. Baumgardner's impressive credentials as a geophysicist caught their attention.

Ron got the permits and all seemed to be a "go", except tensions were now building. It was apparent that John wasn't fond of being a "member of Ron's team" when John had the credentials and his financier was funding the project. Ron and Dave, who were paying their own way, didn't have financial backing and it was getting costlier and costlier.

Ron could also detect that Dave was also distancing himself from him little at a time. Dave was looking for a reed boat as expressed in the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh and he was interpreting things in a manner that Ron believed was incorrect.

A More Thorough Metal Detector Scan of the Entire Site

August finally arrived and Ron, John and the others from Los Alamos arrived first, and they did another metal detector scan, laying out red and yellow ribbons. They measured the length of the site using sophisticated transit surveying devices and arrived at 515 feet and 7 inches- again, 300 royal Egyptian cubits. All was filmed by John's crew and Ron managed to get some video.

The plan was to have the tapes in place before they did the radar scans as reference points. Ron was not consulted on how things were to be done but was happy to let John take the lead.

The pattern of iron lines in the site(© Mary Nell Lee)

Attacked by Terrorists at the Boat-Shaped Site

With all the publicity in the region from the gathering of high-profile ark-hunters, the regional terrorists took this opportunity to rear their ugly heads. Attacking some of the ark hunters on Mt. Ararat, they soon fled and headed to the boat-shaped site. Commandos had been stationed around the site, hiding in the crevasses, and when the terrorists made their move, these commandos quickly rose up and decimated several of them, causing the rest to flee. With this, martial law was declared and the site was now off-limits.

All of John's team left before Dave arrived with Tom Fenner and the SIR-8 radar system and the news crew. It seemed like a total loss, a total waste to have the radar and technician so close yet so far. But Dave's move at getting the "20/20" people there paid off handsomely. The work up to that time was documented in a positive manner and the whole nation had an opportunity to see what was happening on "Doomsday" mountain.

VIDEO: ABC's "20/20" program segment from filming at the site in August 1985. It was broadcast in October 1985:

VIDEO: John's CBN interview was live in August 1985 just after the events:

Doomsday Mountain

This was another interesting thing Ron and Orhan had learned when they questioned the villagers in Aug. of 1984- the mountain was called locally, "Doomsday mountain", which again, is just one more "circumstantial" evidence.

But it was obvious that the team was falling apart. Both Dave and John were quietly taking off on their own. Ron knew he would soon be alone again. While Dave remained friendly, John did not. And he understood this. John was a geophysicist with our country's leading scientific facility, Los Alamos National Labs while Ron was really nobody.  Ron tried to keep Dave on the team- Dave was a smart man and very entertaining. But would it last?

 

Noah’s Ark Chapter 6