Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

"My Wife Made Me Do It"
Tuesday, May 1, 2007

It's been a busy week for Noah -- a new movie, a new museum exhibition, and now a new yacht in the Netherlands. Er, ark. Real life! Real size! His wife made him do it!

The massive central door in the side of Noah's Ark was thrown open Saturday -- you could say it was the first time in 4,000 years -- drawing a crowd of curious pilgrims and 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.

Reckoning by the old biblical measurements, Johan's fully functional 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. (Watch a tour of the replica Ark )

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

"The design is by my wife, Bianca," Huibers said. "She didn't really want me to do this at all, but she said if you're going to anyway, it should look like this."

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.

Not to nitpick a tourist attraction (or an AP writer) but that would be 5,000 years...

Labels: Travel

Posted by B Feiler at 8:01 AM
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