1984 Brought Many New Discoveries

Things would begin open up for Ron now that he had an official liaison.

1984- More Specimens are Taken

Ron took numerous samples of material from the site as his liaison, Orhan Baser, had secured permission for him to do so. Ron wasn't going to jeopardize anything by not getting the proper permission. He again took specimens from inside and outside of the boat-shaped formation.

A “Crescent Shape” Up the Mountainside

Returning to the experiments Ron did in a lake years earlier, looking for a location which would be favorable to the ark coming to rest after the rain stopped and the waters began to recede, Ron looked up the mountain from the boat-shaped object’s present location. What he saw, fit the criteria of his experiment perfectly. He saw a crescent shaped area within the mountain range! He and Orhan immediately headed up the mountain side.

Evidence that Noah’s Ark  Landed Further Up the Mountain

Over a mile up the mountainside, Ron and Orhan came to a site which contained the remains of a very ancient stone building. Since nothing else was around, it appeared to be perhaps a travelers' station or something of that type. This made sense since it was located just off of the old Silk Road, which is a network of roads used in ancient times to facilitate travel and trade throughout the old world from places like India to China, and all through the Middle East, Asia, Europe and connected lands.

Close by, Ron found something he found to be very interesting. It was a section of earth that he  measured by stepping it off to be approximately 120 feet by 40 feet which was rimmed by what appeared to be petrified wood. And within its perimeter was a massive amount of strange looking "rock". This "rock" was  quite heavy and tinged green in places and therefore Ron believed it to be some type of metal. He had an idea as to what the wood perimeter was but perhaps a lab analysis of the "rock" material would help confirm his idea.

 Ark Carried Down in Lava Flow

Since the boat-shaped object is located in a mud-flow which contains remnants of volcanic rock, Ron believed this mud-flow was actually a deteriorated lava flow. As you recall from Rene Noorbergen's book, "The Ark File", the researchers all identified this as a lava flow.

The boat shaped object looked exactly like a ship wreck but it was impaled on a very large outcropping of limestone directly through from the western side to its mid-section.

To Ron, it looked as if the ship had been transported down the mountainside by the lava flow (which covered the ship) and, sliding sideways, it hit this large outcropping of limestone which caused it to be "wracked", exactly like a car that it literally wrapped around a telephone pole.

Did Noah's Ark Have a Bilge Keel?

Ron suspected that the 120 X 40 foot section above the site was actually a portion of the bottom of the ship which had sunk into the mud as the flood waters subsided. He believed it most likely contained a bilge keel, which is like a very large fin extending down into the water which helped keep the ship from rolling to the side. This would have sunk down into the soupy mud of the flooded earth. When the earth was dried, it held the ship upright. A bilge keel could explain why this section ripped away when the ship was carried down the mountainside.

Ron's conclusion was that perhaps this section was firmly embedded in the ground and as the ark was swept down the mountainside by the lava, this portion of the bottom of the hull was ripped away.

Ballast Material

What is ballast? According to Wikipedia:

"Ballast is dense material used as a weight to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, submarine, or other floating structure that holds water is called a ballast tank. Water should be moved in and out from the ballast tank to balance the ship. In a vessel that travels on the water, the ballast will be kept below the water level, to counteract the effects of weight above the water level.^[1] The ballast may be redistributed in the vessel or disposed of altogether to change its effects on the movement of the vessel."

Noah's Ark most certainly would have contained ballast. And Ron believed he had found what Noah had used for ballast!

The strange looking rock he found within this perimeter was very similar in appearance to rock he found just below the lower section of the ship which was the broken off section. He theorized that this was ballast material placed in the hull of the Ark and when the portion of the bottom was ripped off, a large amount of ballast fell out. Other ballast which remained in the intact portion of the ark was now falling out from the broken off lower section. And it wasn't just ordinary rock. Ron would learn more later. For now, Ron and Orhan kept this information to themselves.

Stele with Noah's Ark- An Ancient Billboard

As Ron and Orhan proceeded up the mountainside to the top of the ridge near the Iranian border, they found the broken remains of an ancient stele which was being used in a more recent structure. A stele is like an ancient billboard containing writing or pictures. The broken pieces were quite large and some were exposed which allowed Ron to photograph them for later piecing together. Some were also in smaller pieces all in the same area.

This stele contained numerous inscriptions in what looked like 3 different forms of writing. One segment of it was particularly legible. This was a scene depicting the unique ridge just above the site, a mountain peak in the background, a ship with 8 faces in it, and 2 ravens, one flying above the ship and one above the mountain. The rest of the inscription featured several animals.

The Volcano that Covered the Ark in Lava and Carried it Down the Mountainside

The question of "where was the volcano that covered the Ark in lava?" seemed to now be answered. A volcanic looking mountain is depicted in the stele that is no longer visible. Ron was later able to determine that just over the Iranian border is a 'spent' volcano. It virtually flattened after it's eruption.

But another importance of the stele was that the shape of the boat was almost identical to the 1950s aerial photo of the boat-shaped object. The 8 faces within the boat needed little explanation. But even more importantly, this stele was just beyond the site where Ron had found the 120 x 40 foot section he believed to be a portion of the bottom of the ship. He would study the inscription more later, but for now, it appeared to him that it was marking the location of the original landfall of the ark.

This location was the top of the mountain, a no-man’s land in between Turkey and Iran. The army had busted up the pieces and constructed a border marker according to the commander at the military post located nearby.

It all made sense to Ron- it the stele had been erected there in ancient times, it could have been to attract visitors traveling along the old Silk Road to the remains of the ark before it had been carried down the mountain.

 Ron Shared His 1980 Booklet

It was this 1984 trip when Ron brought numerous copies of the little booklet he had written in 1980, "Noah's Ark Found", and handed them out to all those interested in the site. Within a few months, he would regret having done this.

 A Surprise in Athens

Finally, it was time to leave. Ron got on his flight in Istanbul and headed to Athens, Greece, where he was to pick up his international flight to the US. But a strange series of events was about to take place.

As he was waiting in the airport, he bought a New York Times Newspaper and read an article that nearly knocked him off his feet. He had been accused of taking artifacts illegally out of Turkey! The story told how Marv Steffins, who had promised to keep a low profile about the site, had gone to Ankara, produced some "wood", called a news conference and proclaimed that Noah's Ark had been found. Since he had not obtained permission to take any samples, his were confiscated, and he told the authorities that Ron Wyatt had also taken illegal samples.

 Imprisoned in Saudi Earlier that Year

In the years since 1978, Ron and the boys had been working in Egypt and Israel. When they found the chariot parts in the Red Sea, they then knew that Mt. Sinai was across the Gulf of Aqaba in Saudi Arabia. For over 4 years, Ron had been trying to get a visa into Saudi, but when it seemed impossible, he and the boys decided to enter illegally. Before he left on that trip in December of 1983, he told 2 people what they planned to do. One of those people was Jim Irwin. The other was an ark-hunter who will remain unnamed for right now.

Soon after they left the Jebel el Lawz range and were attempting to leave the country, they were imprisoned for 78 days (75 in Saudi and 3 in Jordan), accused of being Israeli spies. They didn't arrive back in the US until April 18, 1984.

Ron was becoming acutely aware that his archaeological work was not without danger. But it was becoming very apparent that the danger was from those whom he thought were friends. It  was an ark hunter who called the Saudis and told them the Wyatts were Israeli spies. It was an ark hunter who told the Turkish authorities that Ron had taken illegal artifacts out of the country. But in both cases, the end result would be that each site, both in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, was taken VERY seriously by its respective government.

 Vindication of All Charges

It was a long flight home for Ron. He knew that the penalties for taking artifacts were stiff and he knew that all he could do when he arrived in New York was turn himself in. So, when he arrived, his first call was to the Turkish Consulate. He explained the situation, that Orhan Baser had obtained permission for him to take the samples, and he offered to turn them over to the Turkish authorities.

That afternoon, three men from the Turkish Consulate came to Ron's hotel room, examined the specimens, and then told him to keep them. They had checked out Ron's story and found he was telling the truth. But Ted Koeppel didn't know that and accused Ron on Nightline of being a thief. It was not a pleasant situation.

Ron called his own news conference and told his story. The Turkish government issued a statement clearing him of all charges, however, Ted Koeppel neglected to mention this on a later broadcast.

Good Came from Evil

But all turned out for good. A reporter from the United Nations Observer and International Report did an article on Ron and his work on the site, which was published in the January 1985 issue.

A Pattern is Set for Future Co-Workers

Until this time, Ron had no allies other than Dr. Shea. He hoped that now help would be forthcoming. But the Marv Steffins incident proved to be the mold for the future pattern. Mr. Steffins told the press that he had discovered Noah's Ark. No mention of Ron's efforts were ever made other than the fact that Ron had taken illegal artifacts.

But back in Turkey, all the bad press combined with the positive results of Ron's investigations had led to the Turks taking a serious interest in the site.

2nd Set of Lab Analyses

This time, Ron had been able to get a good selection of specimens. Again, he went to Galbraith for the analyses. This time, the results were spectacular. One specimen that Ron believed to be the remains of a metal fitting of some type, proved to contain 8.08% iron, 11.55% ferric oxide, 11.45% alumina and 6.06% aluminum.

Once again, specimens taken outside of the boat-shaped showed considerable differences: much lower carbon and much less iron and no other metals not native to the region.

Samples Sent to Jim Irwin

Ron sent some samples to Jim Irwin who had offered to send them to a laboratory he worked with for analysis. One of those specimens was of the strange rock Ron had obtained from the 120 x 40 foot area above the ark's present site. Jim sent some of the specimens to Los Alamos National Laboratories, the very high-profile government facility in New Mexico. That specimen would soon garner much more interest in the site.

October 1984 Trip to Turkey

Meanwhile, Turkey had appointed their own scientists to take a look at the site. Ron returned 2 months later, in October, and this time took an acquaintance who was an artist. Ron made contact with one of the liaisons he had met on the last trip, Mine Unler, who arranged for him to obtain proper permission to again use the metal detectors. He took more samples, with permission, of course, before leaving, and  loaned one of the metal detectors to the scientists appointed by the Turkish government to check out the site.

Turkish Scientists’ Assessment

After the Marv Steffins incident, an official with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Kafji (not sure of spelling) appointed several Turkish scientists to go to Dogubeyazit and check out the boat-shaped object.  When Ron became aware of this, he felt it was imperative that they have the use of a high tech metal detector so that they could check the metal readings for themselves. He arranged to loan them one of his White's Metal Detectors. He later learned that they had indeed gotten the same results and were convinced that this was a fossilized boat. Finally, progress.

 3rd Set of Analyses

Returning home, Ron again had analyses run on his samples. This time he had brought a sample of what he believed was the ballast material. This analysis showed that the material wasn't just a rock. In fact, it proved to be 84.14% manganese dioxide. But it didn't contain the other minerals present in the other samples which was very significant since it came from the same location.

Ron believed that a ship the size and proportions of Noah's Ark would have had to have had ballast in its hull. And this strange rock was heavy and in large chunks, perfect for use as ballast. But what exactly was it?

Evidence of Pre-Flood Metal Production

It gave the superficial appearance of being tailings (waste product) or slag of some type of metal production. When a chemist with Reynolds Aluminum examined the specimen, he said without qualification that it was metal production tailings. The lab analysis confirmed that it could not be something natural.

Ron now was confident that he knew what the ballast Noah had used was- it was metal tailings of metallurgy. When Noah and whoever helped him build the Ark made the metal fittings, they saved the tailings and placed it in the hull for ballast. After the flood, Noah had a ready supply of metals and alloys!

NOT Manganese Nodules

One ark hunter, in attempting to explain away the evidences, attacked these specimens by claiming that they are nothing more than "manganese nodules", which are found on the sea-floor in the Pacific. However, they do not meet the criteria of these nodules. According to common scientific knowledge, the manganese nodules found on the ocean floor are known to average about 2 inches in diameter, significantly smaller than these massive chunks of ballast material, some of which are 10 inches or more in size.

In addition, the nodules found on the ocean floor average containing 35% manganese, with 50% being considered the highest percentage amount of manganese. The ballast material contains over 84%. Also, the manganese nodules on the sea floor contain nickel and cobalt, which is not found in the ballast material, which was thoroughly tested for mineral content. There is no doubt that these specimens are not naturally occurring.

Many people accused Ron of having too vivid an imagination. They claimed that he just imagined that these evidences were actually present. But as time would pass, the reality of the evidences would soon necessitate that these folks come up with much better excuses because the facts would soon attract more "higher academic interest", as Tom Jerrell would one day state on "2O/2O".

More Specimens Show Metal Production Before the Flood

Ron had been able to get more specimens that he believed were from metal structures, and again took control samples for comparison. This time 3 of the samples he thought were metal showed high metal content- 19.97%, 12.30% and 11.55% Ferric oxide; 8.08%, 13.97% and 8.60% iron. Yet, the control samples showed .77% ferric oxide and .54% iron. If Noah had built a ship of the size specified in the Bible, it made perfect sense to expect that he used metal in attaching the timbers together. After all, in Genesis, we learn that metal production was a science long before the time of the flood:

GEN 4:22  And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.  

A Big Problem for the Experts

With all of the evidence thus far, the ark hunters who had dedicated their efforts to finding the ark ON Mt. Ararat were getting very frustrated and peeved with the attention given the site on what is called locally, "Doomsday Mountain". It was time for damage control, to try and discredit the site as much as possible. And, if they couldn't discredit the site, they would discredit the man. Ron became very unpopular.

Dr. Bill Shea had already noted that, in his opinion, if the "ark-shaped object" had been found on Mt. Ararat, he felt sure that it "would have been heralded far and wide as the discovery of the site where the Ark had rested." But since Mt. Ararat was the highest mountain in the region, the so-called experts had already determined that THAT was the only place the ark was to be found. Yet, the Bible is so clear in the fact that it came to rest in the "mountains" of Ararat-

GEN 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

The next verse goes on to state that even after the ark had come to rest, the tops (plural) of the mountains couldn't yet be seen until almost 3 months later.

GEN 8:5  And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

The Perfect Landing Location for the Ark

Remember Ron's experiment with the miniature mountain configurations in a stream with a small boat model? The little boat simple zipped past a solitary peak extending out of the water- but when it approached a crescent shaped configuration, the hydraulic action of the water eddy formed within this caused the little boat to be sucked into the space within the crescent shape.

If, at the time the ark "rested" in the "mountains of Ararat", the tops were not even visible, the only explanation he could visualize was that it came to rest within a group of mountains that formed a similar crescent shape. Even though they were underwater, the water action still drew the ship into such a protected area. And this is an entirely reasonable concept. We are all probably familiar somewhat with the dangers of rip tides and other water currents caused by underwater terrain which definitely affects the water action on the surface.

The location of the site about a mile and a half above the ark’s present location, where Ron found evidence that the ark originally landed, fits this description perfectly. It was in a mountain valley surrounded by higher mountains on 3 sides.

All the Shouts of “I Found Noah's Ark”

A pattern began in 1984 that would continue until the present time- almost everyone that Ron would take to the site and who saw and understood the tremendous evidence, would beat a fast track to Ankara to explain to the Turks that they were actually the "discoverer" of Noah's Ark.

Mr. Steffins was the first- for a while, he attempted to raise money to work on the site, never once mentioning the efforts of Ron. An artist was the second one. The Turkish files show that he told their ministry that it was HE who actually showed Ron the site and that HE deserved to be recognized as the true "discoverer". Even Ron didn't discover the site, he was just the first person to really dedicate his efforts to proving it was the ark.

But his efforts were beginning to pay off. Turkey was now taking an official interest in the site. Meanwhile, the "Ararat ark hunters" got busy working on stories that would place a large lake in the region of the "boat-shaped object", or digging up myths that people in antiquity built either a large ship in the region or a replica of the ark. It's strange how these stories never surfaced until this time.

Damage Control by the Opponents

In time, a story would be fabricated that this site was actually the remains of an ancient fortress- a fortress built at the foot of a mountain valley with hills surrounding it on 3 sides which would have allowed attackers to simply fire down upon the hapless inhabitants of the fortress like sitting ducks.

Others who had more impressive credentials were satisfied to state simply that they had examined the site thoroughly and found that it was simply an unusual geologic formation. Some have stated that this was only one of many "boat-shaped" objects in the area and insisted that it was only an "obstructed flow formation”.

However, in "obstructed flow" formations the pointed end it always "down-flow", or at the low end, the complete opposite of this site. But to Ron, the bottom line was always this- if this site did indeed contain the remains of the ark as he believed, God was certainly capable of making it known.

With that thought in mind, Ron was at peace. If the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the true and only God, and if He had created the universe and destroyed the old earth by a flood, then He was certainly capable of preserving enough evidence to prove whatever it was He wanted to prove. But would He provide enough evidence to convince the entire world? Well, even those who saw Christ perform miracles with their own eyes crucified Him. Some people will never believe "even if one came back from the dead".

What Does It Matter if the Ark is Proven?

Ron was personally completely sure that this was the remains of the ark. But now he felt compelled to "hang in there" and continue work on the site, even with its tremendous financial drains. After all, if God had preserved the ancient vessel, it had to be for a reason, and it was certainly for the benefit of more than just Ron Wyatt.

To some, it would seem as if Ron had become obsessed, but to Ron, this was of such incredible importance that nothing else seemed very important anymore. He believed with every iota of his being that this was Noah's Ark. If he didn't gather the evidence for all those people who had been taught that the Bible was full of fables and myths, who would? Many years earlier, when Ron became convinced we had a Creator and that He loved us and desperately wanted to save us, he volunteered to do whatever God wanted him to do. Slowly, God laid a burden on Ron's heart for souls.

His reasoning was simple- he believed the Bible was absolutely factual, and as such, the only real importance we as individuals have during our short existence in this present life is what we do for the Creator Who gave us that life. And what He wants us to do is also quite simple: obey His Commandments and spread His Truth to others, accepting what His Son had done that we might received forgiveness.

There were and are many, many people dedicated to spreading His Word to those who never had an opportunity to learn about Him. But what about those who had heard and rejected His Truth because they had been taught that the Bible was fiction? What about those who had been taught as fact the theories of the evolutionists that now dominate our lives in all areas? We live in a time that is fraught with dangers everywhere we turn, even in our churches. And Ron knew what his decision was- he would continue the work, no matter what. He knew he would be up against both Christian evolutionists and the secular evolutionary camps. But even if one person benefited from his efforts, that would make it worth it.

Even some of those who claim to champion the cause of creationism state that the earth is "about 10,000 years old”- yet, the Biblical account tells us it is about 6,000 years old. If we can't believe all of the Bible exactly as it is, what do we believe? We are most aware that all of us are what we are and believe what we believe because of where we were born and what we have been taught. The only hope for those of us who were taught wrong concepts is that we be willing to investigate and discard the wrong and accept the right.

So what now? How to proceed?

 

Noah’s Ark Chapter 5