Archaeologists-enthusiasts argue that the relic should be sought not in Turkey, but in the Gelendzhik region, where there is also Mount Ararat. To prove the hypothesis, they demonstrated fragments of an old ship and a lead anchor recovered from the bottom
Archaeologists-enthusiasts from the public organization "Cosmopoisk" are close to "giving out the mountain" from the bottom of the Black Sea a sensation of world significance. A group of researchers led by the coordinator of "Cosmopoisk" Vadim Chernobrov is busy looking for Noah's Ark, the remains of which, according to the hypothesis of the seekers, may not be at all on Mount Ararat in Turkey, but on the top of a mountain with the same name near the Black Sea resort of Gelendzhik, they write …
According to Vadim Chernobrov, Mount Ararat in the vicinity of Gelendzhik (the area of the resort town of Betta) may thus become the place of the last refuge of people and animals fleeing the waters of the Flood. As proof of the correctness of their hypothesis, the members of the expedition showed the film crew of Russian television the fragments of an old ship and a lead anchor recovered from the bottom of the bay near the village of Betta, similar to those used by ancient sailors.
“So far, we cannot say with complete certainty that we have stumbled upon the remains of the Ark, but several arguments suggest that we must look for it here,” Vadim Chernobrov said.
He recalled that the Old Testament refers to Mount Ararat, which was subsequently swallowed up by the waters of the Black Lake. Since earlier none of the expeditions (including the Russian one in 2003 under the leadership of Andrey Polyakov) found nothing at the top of the Turkish Ararat, it means that the search should be reoriented to the Black Sea coast.
“And if we consider that the biblical Black Lake is nothing more than the Black Sea, then such an argument will be another confirmation that we are on the right path,” Chernobrov stressed. In the meantime, the expedition continues to work.
According to the head of the Stalker school at the Kosmopoisk public association Alexander Petukhov, the expedition will be engaged in research and search work in Betta for at least 10 more days, since Chernobrov's group has the task of collecting as much material as possible confirming the hypothesis put forward.
Some foreign scientists also adhere to the "Black Sea version". In particular, archaeologists from Columbia University (USA) under the leadership of Robert Ballard made several expeditions and explored the seabed at a depth of 100-150 m near the Turkish coast. A deep-sea automatic device, which was used by scientists, found curious objects resembling buildings at the bottom of the sea. A more detailed study of these objects can give answers to many questions, and maybe add new ones.