Epress.am News from Armenia
Construction of a life-sized Noah’s Ark in Victory Park in Yerevan across from Mount Ararat on the other side of the border in Turkey will require at least 2 years and is estimated at $20 million USD — which has no connection with the state budget, said Armare company director Martun Harutyunyan, speaking to reporters in the Armenian capital today.
Project partners Artists’ Union of Armenia President Karen Aghamyan and businessman, Victory Park director Toros Umrikyan assert that the area selected to house the large-scale project is the most appropriate.
“It would be more preferable to build the Ark on Mount Ararat, but it’s meaningless to speak about this in the coming 100 years; consequently, after much thought, we came to the idea that it has to be built in Victory Park where it will be viewed marvelously,” said Umrikyan.
According to Harutyunyan, the complex will mainly serve as a cultural and education center, which will have universal significance — it will be “the only sanctuary in the world [for all mankind] without religious affiliation where peace and tolerance will prevail.”
The ark is expected to be built according to the measurements noted in the Bible: a metal and concrete frame housed in a wooden structure 132 meters in length, 22 meters wide and 13 meters high, added Harutyunyan.
The first floor will be a museum which will house life-size models of the humans and pairs of animals said to have boarded the vessel in the Biblical narrative. The second floor will have a conference room, a movie theatre and classrooms for groups of children. The third floor will be for guests visiting from abroad, with rooms for overnight stay. There will also be displays with the coat of arms, flags and anthems of all states and territories in the world.
At night, a laser display will highlight the two summits of Mount Ararat, known as Mets (“big”) and Pokr (“small”) Masis.
According to the Artists’ Union of Armenia President Karen Aghamyan, the issue of building the project is currently at the discussion stage. The Public Council’s cultural sub-commission has already accepted the offer, and the urban development sub-commission is discussing the matter, after which it will send the proposal to the country’s president.
