A Fascinating Discovery: Is Noah's Ark Finally Found?

Every now and then, new claims surface about the identification of Noah's Ark remnants nestled somewhere in the mountains of Ararat, between Iran and Turkey.

It's challenging to distinguish which of these claims holds any truth. Yet, we do know that in ancient times, remnants of the Ark existed at a well-known site, documented by various ancient peoples. The Talmud recounts that Haman took the timber for the fifty-cubit gallows intended for Mordecai from Noah's Ark. An early Babylonian historian named Berossus also wrote that the Ark's remains were visible on Mount Ararat in his day and that pieces were taken as good luck charms.

Recently, an intriguing find related to the Ark emerged. Dr. Irving Finkel from the British Museum, a leading expert on Mesopotamian culture, unveiled astonishing details from an ancient Babylonian map dating back to the sixth century BCE. This map pinpoints Noah's Ark's exact location.

Etched onto a clay tablet, the map is among the oldest in the world. At its center is the city of Babylon, encircled by a double ring representing the "Bitter River"—the ancient boundary of the known world. Fascinatingly, beyond this boundary lies a series of triangles marking mysterious, distant lands, including the resting place of Noah's Ark.

A surprising discovery occurred when a volunteer named Edith Horsley found a missing piece of the map. Its restoration unveiled details about one of the triangles, labeled "The Great Wall"—an area described as having high walls and huge trees. According to the map, this was where Noah’s Ark lay, corresponding to the biblical Mount Ararat.

We know today that the Babylonians recounted the flood story. Being descendants of Shem, they undoubtedly preserved a tradition about the event. One of the famed Babylonian tales is "The Epic of Gilgamesh," which describes the Ark and the flood. Another tale, "Atrahasis," also narrates these events.

What makes the Babylonian map particularly remarkable is that it provides the first cartographic evidence detailing the Ark’s precise location. The map not only tells the tale but also poses a kind of ancient "travel guide" to the site where, according to Babylonian belief, the Ark still stood during their time.

In fact, we now know of 217 ancient cultures that recount the flood story, each from its perspective. Some narratives are embellished with fanciful additions, but the fundamental truth remains: once, in ancient times, a great flood descended from the heavens, and only those aboard the great ship built per divine instruction were saved.

Interestingly, among all ancient cultures, the Canaanite culture does not have a flood narrative. This aligns with the teachings of the Sages, which state that the land of Israel was spared from the flood.