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Summary
- Genesis 8:4 says the ark rested “upon the mountains of Ararat.” Ararat is the Hebrew form of Urartu, an ancient kingdom between the Aras and the upper Tigris, so the verse names a land and leaves the mountain open.
- Armenian tradition and most modern searchers hold Greater Ararat, which Armenians call Masis. Jerome pointed to the peaks above the Araxes plain about 410; Armenian Christian texts naming Masis survive from the 11th century, and scholars disagree about how far back the belief goes.
- The Targums, Genesis Rabbah and the Syriac Peshitta move the ark south to Corduene (Qardu); a monastery there by the 5th century, and later Muslim tradition, fix it on Mount Judi (Cudi Dağı) near Cizre, about 190 miles (300 km) south-west of Ararat.
- The earliest history to tell of St Jacob of Nisibis, written about 470, sets his mountain in Korduk’; the Armenian Church today tells the story of Mount Ararat and keeps the fragment at Etchmiadzin.
- Christians differ on the site: ABR’s Rick Lanser favours Ararat, CMI’s Bill Crouse favours Mount Judi, and ICR’s Tim Clarey proposes a ridge west of Ararat.
- The search goes on at the Durupınar mound near Ararat: carbon-14 results on burnt wood are expected from France around the end of October 2026 and from Turkey about three months later, and the final radar report at the end of November. No ancient wood has been identified so far.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- The Holy Bible, King James Version: Genesis 8:4–5, Genesis 11:2, 2 Kings 19:37 and Jeremiah 51:27 (quoted); Genesis 7:11, 2 Kings 19:36 and Jeremiah 51:29 (for context), via BibleGateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/
- “Mount Ararat,” Encyclopaedia Britannica (page dated 25 September 2026). https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Ararat
- Charles William Wilson, “Ararat (mountain),” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition, vol. 2 (1911), via Wikisource. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Ararat_(mountain)
- Paul E. Zimansky, Ecology and Empire: The Structure of the Urartian State (Chicago: Oriental Institute, 1985), chapter 2. https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/saoc/saoc-41-ecology-and-empire-structure-urartian-state
- New American Bible, Revised Edition, Genesis 8 with notes, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/8
- Bill Crouse, “The geography of Genesis 8:4,” Journal of Creation 30(1), 2016, Creation Ministries International. https://creation.com/en/articles/the-geography-of-genesis-8-4
- Rick Lanser, “Noah’s Ark Update,” Associates for Biblical Research, 26 September 2008. https://biblearchaeology.org/research-articles/noahs-ark-update/
- Reasons to Believe, “The Flood of Noah: What Does Science Say?”, 21 January 2026. https://reasons.org/creation/earth/noahs-flood
- BioLogos, “How Should we Interpret the Genesis Flood Account?”, last updated 20 November 2023. https://biologos.org/common-questions/how-should-we-interpret-the-genesis-flood-account
- Ken Ham, with Andrew Snelling, “Has Noah’s Ark Been Found . . . For Real This Time?”, Answers in Genesis, 1 June 2025. https://answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2025/06/01/has-noahs-ark-been-found-for-real/
- Brian Thomas, “Did Someone Really Find Noah’s Ark?”, Institute for Creation Research, Acts & Facts, September 2020. https://www.icr.org/article/did-someone-really-find-noahs-ark
- Tim Clarey, “The Ark Landed West of Mt. Ararat,” Institute for Creation Research, Acts & Facts 48(7), 2019. https://www.icr.org/article/the-ark-landed-west-of-mt-ararat
- Friedrich Murad, Ararat und Masis: Studien zur armenischen Altertumskunde und Litteratur (Heidelberg, 1900), pp. 26–28 and 67–69 (including Jerome’s commentary on Isaiah and the Chronicle of Dionysius as he quotes them). https://archive.org/details/araratundmasiss00frigoog
- F. C. Conybeare, review of Murad, Ararat und Masis, American Journal of Theology 5(2), 1901, pp. 335–337. https://archive.org/details/jstor-3152410
- William of Rubruck, The Journey of William of Rubruck to the Eastern Parts of the World, 1253–55, translated by W. W. Rockhill (Hakluyt Society, 1900), pp. 268–271. https://archive.org/details/journeyofwilliam00ruys
- Marco Polo, The Travels of Marco Polo, translated by Henry Yule, revised by Henri Cordier (1903), book 1, chapter 3. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10636
- Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, “Saint Jacob of Nisibis,” liturgical calendar. https://www.armenianchurch.org/en/Liturgical-Calendar/55
- P’awstos Buzand (the Epic Histories), History of the Armenians, book 3, chapter 10, translated by Robert Bedrosian (1985). http://www.attalus.org/armenian/pb2.htm
- James R. Russell, “Faustus,” Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1999. https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/faustus/
- Theodoret, Ecclesiastical History, book 1, chapter 7, translated by Blomfield Jackson, New Advent. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/27021.htm
- Michał Marciak, “The Historical Geography of Gordyene. Part 2: Oriental Sources,” Anabasis 4 (2013), pp. 149–159. https://journals.ur.edu.pl/anabasis/article/view/10227
- Targum Onkelos on Genesis 8:4, Sefaria. https://www.sefaria.org/Onkelos_Genesis.8.4
- Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 8:4, translated by J. W. Etheridge, Sefaria. https://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Jonathan_on_Genesis.8.4
- Genesis Rabbah 33:4, Sefaria. https://www.sefaria.org/Bereshit_Rabbah.33.4
- Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, book 1, chapter 3, sections 5–6, translated by William Whiston. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2848
- The Book of Jubilees, translated by R. H. Charles (1902), 5:28 and 7:1, with Charles’s note quoting Epiphanius. https://archive.org/details/cu31924060029984
- Syriaca.org gazetteer: “Qardu” and “Mar Nuḥ.” http://syriaca.org/place/637 and http://syriaca.org/place/2475
- Benjamin of Tudela, The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, translated by Marcus Nathan Adler (1907). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14981
- The Quran 11:44, Pickthall’s translation, Quran.com. https://quran.com/11/44
- Reports of the symposium in Ağrı, 15 October 2026: Hürgün, https://hurgun.com/haber/agrida-nuhun-gemisi-arastirmalarinda-radar-ve-karbon-analizleri-surecine-devam-ediyor-164373; Diyadin Net, https://www.diyadinnet.com/agri-da-nuh-un-gemisi-arastirmasinda-radar-calismalarinin-yuzde-20-si-tamamlandi-h399541/; Adım Haber, https://www.adimhaber.com/haber/agrida-8-uluslararasi-agri-dagi-ve-nuhun-gemisi-sempozyumu-basladi-74497.html
- “Noah’s Ark Hunters Testing for Wood After Drilling Mission,” Newsweek, 28 September 2026. https://www.newsweek.com/noahs-ark-hunters-say-they-havent-found-ancient-wood-yet-12494934
- Interview with Andrew Jones of Noah’s Ark Scans, Cliff Buell, YouTube, 12 October 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtiLfvLcAjM
- “Research into Noah’s Ark formation in eastern Türkiye completes fieldwork,” Azernews, 30 September 2026. https://www.azernews.az/region/264742.html
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