The Quran and Noah's Ark

It has been claimed by some Muslims that the Quran - and not the Bible - accurately states where Noah's Ark is located, on Mount Al-Judi and not Mount Ararat.

In Exodus 8:4 we read that "... the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." But in Surah 11:44 we read "... The ark rested on Mount Al-Judi...'". While the modern archaeological discoveries of Ron Wyatt have shown us that the remains of Noah's Ark are resting on Mount Al-Judi, there are some points that need to be fleshed out before we jump to conclusions and perhaps jump to different faiths as well:

The Ark is in the Mountains of Ararat

Exodus 8:4 says that the ark came to rest in the mountains of Ararat, not on mount Ararat. The Hebrew word הַר (har) is used many times throughout the Bible in reference to mountains¹ and not a particular single mountain. Mount Al-Judi is approximately eighteen miles from he top of Mount Ararat which could easily be considered part of the same mountain range since it is in close proximity. While skeptics may say that Al-Judi is not currently considered part of the same mountain range, we have to keep in mind that Genesis was written over 3,000 years ago and that the boundaries that define the range may easily have changed since then.

While some might say this argument does not satisfy we must put emphasis on the fact that the ark is resting near Mount Ararat. If it was located on Mount Fuji in Japan then yes, we would have a problem, but it's not.

Josephus (37-100 AD) stated that, in what is modern day Turkey, there were "the remains of the ark, wherein it is related that Noah escaped the deluge, and where they are still shown to such as are desirous to see them."² Elsewhere he writes, "It is said, there is still some part of this ship in Armenia, at the mountain of the Cordyaeans; and that some people carry off pieces of the bitumen, which they take away, and use chiefly as amulets, for the averting of mischiefs."³ What is interesting is that Josephus, himself a Jew, does not mention the location of the Ark being contrary to the Biblical record or that its location made him lose faith in the account of the Old Testament.

To put it simply, if the Ark's location was accurately recorded by Josephus (37-100 AD), Theophilus of Antioch (115-185 AD), Chrysostom (345-407 AD), and Isidore of Seville (560-636 AD) why is it considered shocking that Muhammad also recorded an accurate location for the ark between 610 and 632 AD? To claim that the Quran is more accurate based off of this argument is a fairly weak argument and fails to prove what it seeks out to. While Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all Abrahamic faiths, it should come as no surprise that all three accurately record the ark's final resting place.