Traces of Noah's Ark reportedly found on biblical Mount Ararat

PanARMENIAN.Net - Noah's Ark could soon be found, if one group of explorers is to be believed.

In the Bible it is claimed the ark settled on the 'mountains of Ararat' after 150 days.

Despite lying outside the borders of the modern Armenia, Ararat has historically been associated with Armenia. It is widely considered the country's principal national symbol and brand.

In 2010, a group of evangelical Christian explorers claimed to have found traces of the biblical ship on the mountain, The Daily Mail says.

But their research was widely dismissed by experts who said it lacked real evidence.

Now a California-based 'ark hunter' believes there is new evidence Mount Ararat is where the ark and its inhabitants came aground - and the new claims have received similar reception from the scientific community.

More than 100 researchers from around the world recenlty came together as part of a three-day international symposium on Mount Ararat and Noah's Ark in Ağrı in Turkey to see if they can find the ark's final resting place.

'My purpose is to visit the sites around the mountain to find clues about catastrophic events in the past', said Professor Raul Esperante from the Geoscience Research Institute.

The Geoscience Research Institute is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

On their website it states their mission is to 'discover and share an understanding of nature and its relationship with the Biblical revelation of the Creator God'.

In 2010, a group of Chinese and Turkish evangelical explorers set out on an expedition to explore the region and find the vessel's remains.

After a few weeks, they claimed to have found wooden specimens from an ark-like structure 4,000m (13,000 ft) up the mountain.

The mountain is the highest peak in Turkey, standing more than 5,100 metres (16,500 ft) tall.