A biblical theme park in the US state of Kentucky is building its very own full-size version of Noah’s Ark.
Operator Crosswater Canyon, a non-profit subsidiary of Christian organisation Answers in Genesis, says that when it is finished, the ark will be the largest timber-framed structure in the US.
The attraction will form the centrepiece of a new park called The Ark Encounter, telling the biblical story of the great flood and Noah’s quest to build an ark to save his family and two of every animal on the planet. It will open on 7 July 2016 for an initial 40 days and 40 nights.
Indiana architects Troyer Group have been tasked with building the ark according to the dimensions provided in the Bible and in accordance with the nautical engineering practices of the era.
“It’s an architectural and engineering marvel,” said Ken Ham, the president of Answers for Genesis. ”I believe this huge ship will be a wonder of our modern world.”
“I don’t know of many Christian facilities that can reach so many people with the gospel,” he added. “The Ark Encounter is estimated to reach two million or more people a year from across the nation and around the world.”
The Ark Encounter is planning to feature a number of biblical attractions that will teach a number of Bible stories in “an entertaining, educational and immersive way.” It will be a sister site to the nearby Creation Museum – which
installed zip lines and an exhibition on dragons to draw in visitors earlier this year.
Further planned attractions for the park including a Walled City, a replica of the Tower of Babel, a first-century Middle Eastern village, a “journey in history from Abraham to the parting of the Red Sea”, a walk-through aviary and a large petting zoo. An extensive interactive children’s area, themed restaurants and shopping zones will also be added.
Answers for Genesis say the project will be “one of the largest green construction projects in the country, taking advantage of the latest environmental technologies to be good stewards of creation.”
Over US$24m (€22.5m, £15.7m) has been raised in donations and advance boarding pass sales to fund the construction of the ark, with a further US$6m (€5.6m, £3.9m) being sought.
The park was
previously denied more than US$18m (€14.4m, £11.5m) in tourism tax credits because of its hiring procedure, which allegedly rules out employing anyone who doesn’t believe in the biblical flood. In response, the park filed a lawsuit against the state of Kentucky, alleging ‘religious discrimination’.
