Noah’s Ark started its voyage from Hadramout [Archives:2008/1132/Last Page]

Aref Saleh Al-Tawi
For the Yemen Times
In 1948, Noah's ark was discovered in a mountain range in Turkey bordering Armenia, precisely on Mt. Ararat. However, the discovery of this mountain dates back hundreds of years. According to the majority of circulated tales, it has been less than 9,000 years since the events surrounding the ark occurred, while archeological teams are still searching for the ark.

When western scholars discovered a program named “Google Earth”, they looked continuously for Noah's Ark on every mountain and hill across the sphere. Their efforts culminated with footage of a mountain containing the boat's shape. This enhanced my understanding that Noah's Ark has not been found yet.

I conducted a similar experience in the search and reached no result, except for consulting the Qur'an, which tells the truth about historical facts. I found two surahs, Al-Ankabout and Al-Qamar, which included accurate information about the story. Al-Ankabout 15 reads “We rescued him (Noah) and the other passengers aboard the Ark and made it a miracle for mankind,” while Al-Qamar 15 reads, “We [Allah] left it as a miracle for people to contemplate on.”

What caught our attention here is that both verses, having the same digit, focused on Noah's Ark, and each is made up of six words. Having examined both surahs, I found that . Al-Ankabout – 'the spider' – discusses how this insect's web is built, as well as how the male spider fertilizes the female, and after the process is over, the female kills the male and leaves its body for the babies to eat when they are born. This depiction shows us how life is likened to the spider's web, and that everything in this short life will expire. But the key question her is, how is Noah's ship related with this subject?

A glance at the spider's web, finds that it resembles the latitudes and longitudes of Earth, and such an eye-catching simile led us to the idea of how Noah's ark was discovered. I was surprised by the above-mentioned Qur'anic verses that indicated the venue of the occurrence in central Yemen at a latitude near an ancient water course where the flooding, left behind during Noah's days, took place. This course has a total area estimated at hundreds of square kilometers, and it is on this course where Noah's ark anchored.

A cursory look at the Hadramout Mountains tells us that these mountains have a distinctive shape. They are smooth, thereby making it possible for a ship to anchor. Surah Noah 19 tells us that “Allah has made Earth flat for your sake.” This verse indicates how flat and plain Hadramout valley is. Google Earth images also confirm to us how applicable this verse is to Hadramout Valley, with large and smooth mountains making it possible for the ship to anchor. By God's wisdom, Hadramout Mountains are shaped as if they are airport runways.

Having looked at some Quranic verses, we understood that the latitudes and longitudes lead us to places making it impossible for us to think how ancient events took place. Al-Ankabout includes verses talking about peoples who suffered from difficult experiences and provided lessons for coming generations to learn from, notably Lot's people. Other verses from the Qur'an provide us with clear-cut evidence that Noah lived in Hadramout Valley.
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