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History for Noah's Descendants
In Genesis 8:4 we read “...the boat came to rest on the mountains
of Ararat. It does not state that it landed on Mt. Ararat, the tradi
tional site for the Ark. On the north side of Mount Ararat there is a
beautiful fertile valley called Araxes River Valley. This valley is
high in the Mountains of Ararat. It is about 70-90 miles in length
and follows the Araxes (Aras) River.
Some believe the ark came to
rest in this valley just a few miles north of Mt. Ararat. Today there
is a town in the eastern part of the valley called Cemanum (Kazakh
or Kazan), which interpreted means “eight,” possibly named after
the eight persons who came out of the ark and are thought to have
built the town in that location. The people who lived in that area
would, for generations, have known the exact location of the ark.
In this valley there is a vast complex of extremely ancient stone
fences radiating outward from an ancient stone house. North of this
complex is a very ancient stone altar upon a ridge between two
hills. In front of this house they discovered two tombstones
which seem to indicate that they were marking the graves of Noah
and his wife. Perhaps this was Noah’s home where he lived out
the next 350 years of his life. South of this home is a village in
which a large number of anchor stones (from the ark?) can still be
seen today, some with eight crosses carved on them, possibly
representing the eight people that left the ark.
Across the Araxes River from this home lies the site of Metsamor.
Within a few miles of the home, is what has been termed “one
of,” if not “THE” oldest metallurgical site ever found! Analyses of
the copper found there showed 14 different alloys, including tin,
lead, antimony and zinc. This metallurgy center is quite sophisticated!
It is believed that Noah founded this metallurgical site.
Archaeologists, at the earliest inhabited level of this dig, found
bronze slag. This bronze alloy requires tin and sometimes zinc for
increased hardness. Glass making also flourished at Metsamor, as
indicated by six types of metallurgical material, including zinc and
mangonese, alloyed in different ways to make different colors.
Large samples of ballast possibly from the hull of the ark tested
over 85% manganese. They also discovered large metal rivets, from
the ark? Noah and his sons obviously had vast knowledge from the
pre-flood years that they taught to their descendants.
Another extremely old metallurgical site has been uncovered
farther east along the Araxes Valley at Nakhichevan. Numerous
Armenian traditions ascribe the founding of this city to Noah.
Noah probably traveled the area with his descendants, helping to
get them established in various areas where they would have room
for their crops and animals.
It is possible that many other small towns were
founded in this area that no longer exist today. There seems to be
strong evidence that Noah’s descendants first migrated eastward,
following the Araxes River.
The fact that what is believed to be
Noah’s grave was found in the valley, seems to indicate that Noah
stayed in the valley until the time of his death 350 years later.
People wonder why there are so few artifacts found that are metal.
Metal was a very precious commodity. When an item was no
longer useful or was worn out, it would most likely have been
melted down and made into something else. Metal products would
never have been left behind the way pottery was. Pottery was
cheap and easy to obtain. That is probably why so many pottery
artifacts are found and so few metal artifacts. They did have
tools made from obsidian. Several volcanoes in the area would
have made obsidian readily available.
The first concentration of Noah and his family would have been
to plant crops and increase their herds and flocks. They also had
to build their homes. Migration could not really have begun
until there were more people on the earth. This would not have
taken more than about one hundred years. They lived very long
lives, had large families and were extremely healthy. The death
rate would have been relatively low.
Before entering the ark God told Noah to provide enough food
for his family and for all the animals. This meant not only food
for the long period that they were in the ark but also for the first
months after leaving the ark. They would have brought all kinds
of seeds and plants with them for planting in the New World.
Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard (Genesis 9:10).
We are not told what the sons did, but it is obvious they would
have planted grains, vegetables and fruits that were necessary to
their survival. Also, they all had to start building up their herds
and all the other farm animals. These were necessary, not only
for food, but also for the sacrifices that God required of them.
The Araxes River Valley possesses a special fertility which is
indicative of the careful provision God made for the first family
in reestablishing life on earth. Even today travelers are discovering
the size of the vegetables from this area are larger than found
in most areas of the world!
It was in Anatolia (Turkey) that many plants were reborn,
planted in Turkey by Noah and his family from seeds brought
there from before the flood. Recent studies have shown that a
large percentage of plants are found only in Turkey, nowhere
else in the world. Archaeologists and scientists who do not accept
the account of Noah and the flood have long puzzled over this
fact. Of course, as Christians, we know how those plants got
there. When the people migrated, they would only have room to
take essential foods, fruits and grains, leaving behind a variety of
plants whose beginnings were in the pre-flood world.
Even to this day Turkey has fruits that thrive in spite of the cold
climate of northeastern Turkey! Apples, plums, apricots, peaches
and mulberries are common in the Eastern Highlands, including
the districts around Lake Van, where they are hardy enough to
survive the severe winters.
First major migration
Genesis 11:1-3 says, “And the whole earth was of one language,
and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from
the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they
dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make
brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone,
and slime (a petroleum product) had they for mortar.”
Shinar referred to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
and has also been referred to as Babylonia or Mesopotamia.
Traveling the Araxes River Valley westward and then following
other tributaries, they would have reached either the Euphrates
or the Tigris River and by following them down would emerge
upon the plain of Shinar, a distance of about 250 miles.
The only other route would have been along the west side of Lake
Van and through a mountain pass to the Tigris River and then
follow it down to the plain of Shinar. Either route would take
them to the same general area, because the two rivers are very
close together where they exit from the mountains. In the area
just out of the mountains the land is fertile. They would most
likely not have traveled any farther for some time, as long as
all their needs could be met in this area.
After studying the map carefully, it seems most logical for
Babel to be located on the east side of the Euphrates, just a
short distance beyond the mountains. There is plenty of water
and fertile land in this area. The mountains nearby would
provide the trees and metals necessary for their survival.
Another ancient metallurgical site has been found, located at
Dyarbakir. Coincidence? I think not. Dyarbakir is located on the
east bank of the Tigris River at the closest point after both rivers
emerge from the mountain range to the north. Samples of old
brick from tells in this area had mortar consisting of a mixture
of sand and tar (bitumen/asphalt) which hardens when dried.
This is a petroleum product. Did they have access to this
product to build a city and tower? Yes!
Just a few miles from the suggested site for Bethel is a town
called Gazientep. There is an oil field there today. There is
another oil field called Ramana near today’s city of Bacu located
on the coast of modern Azerbaijan. Oil is still bubbling
and oozing out of the ground there. It is possible that this was
even happening at Gazientep in the days of Babel. Archaeological
evidence seems to point to this fact.
The command had been given to Noah’s family to “Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Genesis 9:1 The people,
however, didn’t want to be separated, so they decided to build a
city with a big tower that would “reach unto heaven” so that
they could make a name for themselves by which they would be
remembered. This was possible for them to do because all the
necessary materials were near at hand.
But God looked down from heaven and decided to interfere in
the plans of the humans He had created. They were disobeying
the command that He had given them.
Genesis 11:5-9 states,
“But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the
people were building. 'Look,' He said. If they can accomplish
this when they have just begun to take advantage of their common
language and political unity, just think of what they will
do later. Nothing will be impossible for them!
The name of this city means “confusion.”
Come, let’s go
down and give them different languages. Then they won’t be
able to understand each other.' In that way, the Lord scattered
them all over the earth; and that ended the building of the city.
That is why the city was called Babel, because it was there that
the Lord confused the people by giving them many languages,
thus scattering them across the earth.” NLT
Descendants of Shem (In blue on the map)
Genesis 10:11– “Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded
Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, and Resen between
Nineveh: the same is a great city.”
Shem’s son, Asshur, had founded the next kingdom. Asshur left Nimrod’s Kingdom and
founded Rehoboth, Calah, Resen and Nineveh. They are all very
close together and situated on the banks of the Tigris River southeast of Babel.
The location of Nineveh has been confirmed.
From there Shem’s descendants migrated south, spreading out to the
west as they did. Eventually, they went as far as the southern end
of Saudi Arabia and west to the Mediterranean coast, settling
mainly in Palestine, Syria, Land of Uz, Mesopotamia, Chaldea,
Assyria and Elam.
Descendants of Japheth (In green on the map)
Japheth’s descendants first settled in the area near the ark. His
descendants belong to what is called the Aryan or Indo-European
race. They spread northward both to the east and to the west.
Most of the Oriental races were from his descendants, the
descendants of Ham making up the rest. Japheth’s descendants
“became the seafaring peoples in various lands.” Genesis 10:5
They eventually populated the islands of the Mediterranean Sea,
the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and all the way up to and
including the British Isles, Europe and Russia.
Descendants of Ham (In yellow on the map)
The descendants of Ham were the first to occupy Canaan and later became
known as Canaanites!
Important: Many battles among the descendants resulted in the Old Testament lands changing hands
many times. This map shows only the first migrations and the later areas that were predominantly occupied by
The descendants of Ham settled all of Africa and, predominantly, in the two southern tips of Saudi Arabia on the west
and east coasts, spreading across the southern coast of Asia and the western portion of India along the Indian Ocean.
NOTE: All of the text given here is in chart form and comes as a
file when you purchase the map that goes with this text.
Click here to purchase map or the complete set.
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