Archaeological Discoveries on Mount Ararat Confront Attacks and Bias

In November of 2011, Harvard University educated archaeologist and Director of the Paleontological Research Corporation, Dr. Joel Klenck, reported there was archaeological merit to a large wood structure and cave discovered near the summit of Mount Ararat by a Kurdish guide, Ahmet “Parasut” Ertugrul. In 2010, Oktay Belli, Professor of Eurasian Archaeology at Istanbul University, hailed the finds as the “greatest discovery.” However, Klenck states these archaeological sites confront severe attacks and bias. Klenck notes that a small tourism company in eastern Turkey, Murat Camping, has acquired hundreds of thousands of dollars from groups searching for Noah’s ark and is trying to discredit and harass those supporting research at actual archaeological sites on Mount Ararat. He states, “Murat Camping comprises a convicted murderer, Saim Sahin, and his American partner, Amy Beam. This group provided false information to ark searchers, who reported that Professor Belli and Turkish government officials are supporting a hoax.” Klenck counters these allegations are false as the research area on Mount Ararat comprises “factual archaeological sites.” He states, “Once the Ararat sites become state-approved excavations in Turkey, many can volunteer to work at the Ararat sites or study the artifacts in museums or archaeological journals. Murat Camping stands to lose significant monies.” “Several creationist groups are also trying to disparage the sites,” Klenck states, “because they assumed that Noah’s ark would have dinosaur bones, Early Stone Age tools, Neanderthals or be completely fossilized. That the large wood structure on Mount Ararat exhibits an assemblage that appears to be mostly from the Late Epipaleolithic Period (13,100-9,600 B.C.) is troubling to some creationists since the data contradicts their assumptions.” Further, he states many professional archaeologists have surprisingly followed these creationist critiques and are ignoring the Ararat discoveries. Klenck notes, “Professional archaeologists do not realize that the biggest critics of the Ararat sites also object to the scientific discipline of archaeology.” Klenck remarks, “Archaeological theories are based on facts and evidence and not on beliefs or faith. With the Ararat discoveries, we have well preserved archaeological sites and assemblages that are from a period associated with the transition to farming, plant and animal domestication and stratified societies.” He concludes that although the association of the wood structure with Noah’s ark will be debated, the archaeological sites on Mount Ararat require intensive research and represent discoveries that are important to our knowledge of prehistory.

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