There are a lot of people in the world that feel that the world will come to an end. It may be in our lifetime, it may be in our child’s lifetime, but there are many theories out there. One of the theories, is that it may end due to a massive flood. Well a few years ago, a Dutch millionaire named Johan Huibers had a dream that the country of Holland would be flooded again, similar to the story of ‘Noah and the Ark’ from the Bible. His dream inspired him to build the exact replica of the Bible’s description of the Ark. The measurements were based off the ancient measurement of the cubit which is the length of a man’s arm from the elbow to the fingertips. The Bible describes the dimensions as being 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high which is why it took him and his team 4 years to complete. Check out the Ark below.
Measuring at 450 feet long, he wanted to make the Ark more ‘touchable’ by filling the massive Ark with real live birds and plastic animals.
The Ark is approximately 20,000 sq. meters in size, and it has different presentations about Noah’s history, background information, along with other attractions inside, including a restaurant. The restaurant provides a view of the Merwede River and also the city of Dordrecht.
The Ark also is home to two amphitheaters which can be used to host events such as concerts, musicals, and more.
Some of the live animals that are on the Ark are rabbits, squirrels, horses, and kangaroos. They did this in order to take you back in history as much as possible.
Because Biblical scholars disagree on what the Bible’s definition of ‘gopher wood’ which is what the Bible says Noah built the Ark out of, the boat was constructed by welding metal hulls off of several old barges and using Scandinavian pine for the skin of the Ark. The construction of the Ark has drawn in its fair share of worried people according to Huibers. She answers by telling them that this Ark was designed as a museum and not a rescue boat.
Check out the video below to get an inside glimpse at the modern-day Noah’s Ark.
The Dutch carpenter now wants to sail the vast vessel all the way to Israel.
He said, “This is a copy of God’s ship. It only makes sense to take it to God’s land.”
They have opened this Ark to the public, so if you are ever in The Netherlands, this may be one stop that you’ll want to make. You can visit their website HERE. I guess when you are a millionaire and have a dream, you’re not limited by much, and that’s exactly what Johan Huibers did. He turned his dream into a reality and now is allowing others to venture inside.
What are your thoughts?