Noah's Ark quest heads for Turkey

American and Turkish explorers are hoping to discover traces of Noah's Ark on the slopes of Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey.

A joint expedition of 10 explorers from both countries intends to trek up the 5,346m (17,820ft) mountain in July.

They will spend a month searching for a large structure exposed in part by melting snow last summer.

Recounted in the Bible, Noah and his ark are said to have alighted on Mount Ararat after the Great Flood.

Satellite images

The trip is being organised by Daniel McGivern, a company president based in Hawaii, described in the local press as a Christian activist.

Mr McGivern told a press conference in Washington DC that satellite images had helped locate an object 13.5m (45ft) high, 22.5m (75ft) wide and up to 135m (450ft) long on the mountain.

Mr McGivern says the team will seek to photograph ark remains

"We are not excavating it. We are not taking any artefacts," he told reporters.

"We're going to photograph it and, God willing, you're all going to see it," he said.

The team of archaeologists and scientists will be lead by a Turkish climber, Ahmet Ali Arslan.

This is not the first sighting of a possible boat-like object on the mountain.

In 1957, Turkish air force pilots spotted a boat-shaped formation in Agri province.

But as yet, no team visiting the area has been able to find any trace of a vessel.