Italian Noah’s Ark researcher buried in grave overlooking Mt Ararat

AĞRI

An Italian archaeologist, who spent 35 years searching for Noah’s Ark in the eastern province of Ağrı, has been laid to rest in a cemetery viewing Mount Ağrı (Mount Ararat) as per his will.

Angelo Palego, who had a heart attack in Ağrı at the beginning of August, was taken to the state hospital in Erzurum, a neighboring province.

After being infected with COVID-19, the Italian researcher lost his life on Aug. 15 at the age of 88.

His son in Italy, who knew his father’s will to be buried in Ağrı, contacted the Italian Embassy and appointed Murat Şahin as the family’s agent.

“I talked to officials in the Doğubeyazıt Municipality to organize a burial place overlooking Mount Ağrı, and they accepted,” Şahin said.

Palego was laid to rest in a separate burial site allocated for non-Muslims in the district’s cemetary on Sept. 2 after a funeral service held by Şahin and some municipality workers.

Mount Ağrı, which is the highest peak in Turkey with 5,165 meters, is called by the name “Ararat” in the West since the Middle Ages as it was identified with the “mountains of Ararat,” described in the Bible as the resting place of Noah’s Ark.