The Real Noah’s Ark

November 11, 2009

Man builds working replica of Noah’s Ark (exact scale given in
Bible)in Schagen , Netherlands

The massive central door in the side of Noah’s Ark was opened to the first crowd of curious townsfolk to behold the wonder. Of course, it’s only a replica of the biblical Ark , built by Dutch creationist, Johan Huibers, as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible.

The ark is 150
cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide.
That’s two-thirds the length of a football field
and as high as a three-story house.

Life-size models of giraffes, elephants,
lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other
animals greet
visitors as they arrive in the main hold.

A contractor by
trade, Huibers built the ark of cedar and pine.
Biblical Scholars debate exactly what the wood
used by Noah would have been.

Huibers did the
work mostly with his own hands, using modern
tools and with occasional help from his son,
Roy. Construction began in May 2005. On the
uncovered top - deck
not quite ready in time for the opening – will
come a petting zoo, with baby lambs, chickens,
goats and one camel.

Visitors on the
first day were stunned. ‘It’s past
comprehension’, said Mary Louise Starosciak, who
happened to be bicycling by with her husband
while on vacation when they saw the ark looming
over the local landscape.

‘I knew the story
of Noah, but I had no idea the boat would have
been so big ‘ There is enough space near the
keel for a 50-seat film theater where kids can
watch a video that tells the story of Noah and
his ark. Huibers, a Christian man, said he hopes
the project will renew interest in Christianity
in the Netherlands , where church-going has
fallen dramatically in the past 50 years.