Noah's Ark (;
Biblical Hebrew:
Tevat Noaḥ) is the vessel in the
Genesis flood narrative (
Genesis chapters 6–9) by which
God spares
Noah, his family, and a remnant of all the world's animals from the flood. According to Genesis, God gave Noah instructions for building the ark. Seven days before the deluge, God told Noah to enter the ark with his household and the animals. The story goes on to describe the ark being afloat throughout the flood and subsequent receding of the waters before it came to rest on the
Mountains of Ararat. The story is repeated, with variations, in the
Quran, where the ark appears as
Safina Nuh ( "Noah's boat"). The Genesis flood narrative is similar to numerous other
flood myths from a variety of cultures. The earliest known written flood myth is the Sumerian flood myth found in the
Epic of Ziusudra.
Searches for Noah's Ark have been made from at least the time of
Eusebius (c.275–339 CE) to the present day. There is no scientific evidence for a global flood, and despite many expeditions, no evidence of the ark has been found.