AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands — Searchers have dreamed of finding Noah's Ark for hundreds of years, with Mount Ararat in Turkey recently becoming the focal point. However, now the "ark" has been found (sort of) in Europe.
There is currently an approximate half-size replica of Noah's Ark in The Netherlands. The construction of a full-size replica there is now under way.
Johan Huibers, a Dutchman, is the force behind these inspiring replicas.
According to Huibers' nonprofit organization, the Arks offer people "a chance to taste a little of how it must have been on Noah's Ark. The many life-size animals in cages and the beautiful structure of the building of the Ark bring the story of Noah to life (Genesis chapters 6-9). But next to that, people get a lot of information about the worldwide flood and the Ark through displays and films.
"Along the tour, where elephant footprints lead the way, people enjoy seeing the beautifully hand painted paintings on the walls and enjoy finding animals everywhere — Different Bible stories are displayed and there are fossils that are shown to confirm the flood —"
"You'll probably enjoy getting a better picture and more information about this beautiful story of hope and God's enormous love for you!"
To date, more than 300,000 people have toured the Ark replica.
It took Huibers 18 months to build his half-size, 68-meters-long, replica ark of cedar and pine — with modern tools. The smaller version is wheelchair-accessible and contains restrooms and a restaurant.
"In 1992 I had a dream where Holland disappeared in enormous masses of water, something like the tsunami in Southeast Asia," Huibers states on his Web site. (His nation is a low-lying country with more than a quarter of its land below sea level.)
After finding a book in a local bookstore about Noah's Ark, he had a desire to build one of his own. He started in 2005.
However, as a devout Christian and believer in the Bible, he does not believe that God will ever flood the earth again on a worldwide scale, since the the Book of Genesis says the rainbow is a divine sign that it won't ever occur a second time.
His wife, Bianca, designed the ark, though she initially wasn't too thrilled about it. She thought her husband could do better things, like drilling wells in Ethiopia. But, once she realized this was his vision, she pitched in. The first ark was finished and open to the public in April of 2007.
Huibers sees it as his task to bring the Bible story back to people's attention through the Ark replica.
"I want to let visitors visualize what the Ark looked like to bring the account closer to those who believe but also to those who don't. Noah's story speaks to them mostly because of the animals on board. There are many realistic polyester animals! Children can view various films, visit the Bible story displays and follow the footprints of the elephant while searching for the answers on the questionnaire," he says on his Web site.
The bigger Ark is going to be 140 meters (153.2 yards) long, 25 meters (27.35 yards) wide and 18 meters (19.7 yards) high. The big Ark will be capable of holding 10,000 people at one time.
(Huibers used 46 centimeters — 18.4 inches — as a standard for the cubit, believed to be the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, though it depends on how large people were in the days of Noah.)
The arks were built on barges, to ease their movements by tugboat, from port-to-port. This also means the arks are completely visible above the water.
For more information on these Ark replicas, go to www.arkvannoach.com/index.php/en
- Some online reactions to the Ark projects
"I first saw the Web site of the 'little' Ark. I was so blessed that it made me cry. I have been so depressed lately by the godlessness taking over our society here in the U.S., but this has truly lifted my spirits! God is great, and this Ark shows us just a hint of it. Thanks Johan for your obedience to God." —Steve Gallo"God bless you for working so hard to encourage the truth to come to life to bless those who do not believe." — Terry Smith
"My wife and I visited the 'little Ark' in Urk, Netherlands, on Sept. 27, 2008. What a fantastic visit it was! The detail and the abundance of video screens depicting many of Disney's Bible stories was outstanding. The construction was amazing and the attention to detail was to behold. — I know God is smiling down on you! What a testament!" — Jerry Hussey
"Wonderful! Someone has the faith to build the Ark again. The thought of building the Ark full size, as a witness for God, has come to me earlier. Yet I am pleased to see that it has already happened in Holland. God bless!" — Kim Hagen Jensen
"How on earth is the Ark story considered beautiful? It is a story of mass slaughter and genocide on an unprecedented scale." — Jefe
Admission to see the Ark is charged in euros. Costs equal about $3.84 for children and $6.40 for adults.
Donations: The Ark projects are a nonprofit organization. Most of it has been paid by the builder himself. Expenses for the small Ark are covered with the entry fees. What is left from that money is invested into the building of the bigger Ark. The project accepts donations. The first Ark cost about $130,000 to build, and Huibers got a loan for much of the money.
The Ark can be visited in Amsterdam through Feb. 6, 2009. After that, it may move to a different port. Hours are hours are from 9.30 a.m.—5 p.m. Closed Sundays.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com