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According to the book of Genesis, The '''Ark''' or '''Noah's Ark''' was built by [[Noah]] on the directions of God so that His creation may be preserved following the [[Great Flood]].

According to the book of Genesis, '''Noah's Ark''' (often referred to just as the '''Ark''') was built by [[Noah]] on the directions of God to preserve Noah and his family and representatives of each of the animal kinds from the [[Great Flood]].

The Ark was constructed with [[pitched]] [[gopher wood]] and had three stories divided into multiple rooms, a window, and a door.<ref>''Genesis'' 6:14, 6:16</ref> The dimensions were three hundred [[cubit | cubits]] long by fifty cubits wide by thirty cubits high.<ref>''Genesis'' 6:15</ref> Translating from [[cubit | cubits]] to modern US units, this is approximately 450 feet long, by 75 feet wide, by 45 feet high.

== Design and construction ==

Noah was instructed by God to take aboard the Ark his wife, his three sons and their wives, male and female pairs of all the "unclean" kinds of creatures, seven each of the "clean" kinds, and enough food and supplies for everyone.<ref>''Genesis'' 6:18-7:3</ref> <ref>''Genesis'' 7:6, 7:11</ref>, God shut them all inside the Ark and started the Flood.

The Ark was constructed with [[pitched]] [[gopher wood]] and had three stories divided into multiple rooms, a window, and a door.<ref>''Genesis'' 6:14, 6:16</ref> The dimensions were three hundred [[cubit | cubits]] long by fifty cubits wide by thirty cubits high.<ref>''Genesis'' 6:15</ref> which equates to approximately 450 feet long, by 75 feet wide, by 45 feet high.

After forty days and forty nights of rain, the Ark was adrift for 150 days until finally the waters subsided.<ref>''Genesis'' 7:24-8:1</ref>The Ark came to rest somewhere in the mountains of Ararat in modern Turkey.<ref>''Genesis'' 8:4</ref>

Noah was instructed by God to take aboard the Ark his wife, his three sons and their wives, male and female pairs of all the "unclean" kinds of creatures, seven (or seven pairs) each of the "clean" kinds, and enough food and supplies for everyone.<ref>''Genesis'' 6:18-7:3</ref> <ref>''Genesis'' 7:6, 7:11</ref>, God shut them all inside the Ark and started the Flood.

It took another forty days until the waters decreased so that Noah was able to open the window and send forth a raven and a dove to see if the earth was dry enough to exit.<ref>''Genesis'' 8:14-16</ref>.  For theories on the spread of animals after the flood see [[Post-Diluvian Diasporas]]  

The Ark's passengers were aboard for about a year<ref>The flood began on the 17th day of the second month of the 600th year of Noah's life (Genesis 7:11) and the ark's passengers alighted on the 27th day of the second month of the 601st year of Noah's life (Genesis 8:13-15)</ref>.  The Ark came to rest somewhere in "the mountains of Ararat", believed by many to be the mountains with that name in modern Turkey.<ref>''Genesis'' 8:4</ref>

 

Before they left the ark, Noah released a raven then a dove to see if the earth was dry enough to exit.<ref>''Genesis'' 8:14-16</ref>.  For theories on the spread of animals after the flood see [[Post-Diluvian Diasporas]]  

==Controversy==

==Controversy==

Many people, including some Christians do not believe that Noah's Ark existed and have raised objections to the existence of the Ark and the Flood such as a lack of room for all the animals (there are about 1,250,000 identified animal species on Earth <ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species</ref>) and a lack of geological evidence for a global flood. <ref>http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.html</ref><ref>[http://www.reasons.org/resources/apologetics/other_papers/rapid_post_flood_speciation.shtml A Critique of Rapid Post Flood Speciation] by [[Reasons to Believe]] an [[Old Earth Creationist]] ministry</ref> Young Earth Creationists have written a number of responses to such criticisms, such as John Woodmorappe "Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study" which argued that it would be possible to fit the billions of required animals in the ark. <ref>http://www.rae.org/noah.html</ref>

Many people, including some Christians do not believe that Noah's Ark existed and have raised many objections to the existence of the Ark and the Flood.  These include the following:

*  a lack of room for all the animals, usually on the basis of the biblical reference to ''kinds'' being the same as ''species'' (and there are about 1,250,000 identified animal species on Earth <ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species</ref>).  Supporters of the account reject that ''kinds'' is to be equated with ''species'', so use a much lower number.

* a lack of geological evidence for a global flood. <ref>http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.html</ref><ref>[http://www.reasons.org/resources/apologetics/other_papers/rapid_post_flood_speciation.shtml A Critique of Rapid Post Flood Speciation] by [[Reasons to Believe]] an [[Old Earth Creationist]] ministry</ref>

 

Young Earth Creationists have written a number of responses to such criticisms, such as John Woodmorappe's ''Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study''<ref>http://www.rae.org/noah.html</ref> which argues that ''kinds'' is not to be equated with ''species'', and that there would therefore be a much smaller number of creatures on the ark, and that there are ways that the humans on board could have cared for all the creatures on board.  Creationary geologists have also pointed out that much of the Earth's geology is sedimentary (water-laid) rocks, as one would expect from a global flood.

In 1977,  Ron Wyatt thoroughly  examined a site on Mount Ararat which he claimed was the remnants of Noah's Ark. <ref>http://www.wyattmuseum.com/noahs-ark-04.htm</ref>  However, his findings have since come under criticism from a variety of sources including mainstream archaeologists and other Young Earth Creationists prompting [[Answers in Genesis]], one of the world's largest creationist ministries, to make a general statement that Young Earth Creationists should not use Wyatt's claims since they are at best highly dubious.<ref>http://www2.andrews.edu/~merling/</ref><ref> http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/dont_use.asp</ref>

In 1977,  Ron Wyatt promoted a site on Mount Ararat which he claimed was the remnants of Noah's Ark. <ref>http://www.wyattmuseum.com/noahs-ark-04.htm</ref>  However, his findings have since come under criticism from a variety of sources including mainstream archaeologists and other Young Earth Creationists prompting [[Answers in Genesis]], one of the world's largest creationist ministries, to make a general statement that Young Earth Creationists should not use Wyatt's claims since they are at best highly dubious.<ref>http://www2.andrews.edu/~merling/</ref><ref> http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/dont_use.asp</ref>

==References==

==References==