The location of a golden chest believed to hold the original version of the Ten Commandments has long been a mystery, with many people doubting that it ever existed at all. But CIA documents claims the Ark of the Covenant was found in the 1980s, by people who were involved in the government’s controversial remote viewing program, which implemented a psychic training regimen that helped participants unlock hidden powers of clairvoyance (the ability to see into the future, or to perceive objects or events that were outside the range of the normal senses).
According to biblical accounts, the Ark of the Covenant was constructed by the Israelites soon after their exodus from Egypt, around the 15th century BC. Moses is said to have placed the Ten Commandments inside the sacred chest, to ensure their safety and preservation. But the location of the Ark, assuming it really exists, was lost in time long ago.
During the 1980s, the CIA (along with other intelligence agencies, like the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)) conducted many experiments with remote viewing, which those who were closest to the program have long maintained produced real successes. In Project Stargate, remote viewers were asked to locate people or objects wherever they might be in the world, and at times they were even tasked with viewing locations that were off-planet, such as the Moon and Mars. In many instances the readings were carried out blindly, meaning the remote viewers were given a set of map coordinates and then asked to visit these places with their mind and describe what they saw.
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One of these tests involved a participant, identified as Remote Viewer No. 032, was secretly tasked with finding the Ark of the Covenant (he wasn’t told what he was looking for, but was only asked to view what he could find at certain coordinates).
What the man described did in fact seem to fit the description of the Ark, and his sessions were considered a success. This remote viewer seemingly confirmed the Ark of the Covenant was concealed somewhere in the Middle East, apparently validating the information that had led to him being given a particular set of coordinates in the first place.
Historians generally believe the Ark was once stored within the Holy of Holies, the most sacred inner chamber of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem. However, it vanished from historical records following the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Some legends suggest the artifact was secretly taken to Ethiopia, where it is said to remain in a local church. Despite ongoing theories, no definitive evidence of the Ark has been found. But the CIA document, which was declassified in 2000 and has finally come to light now, asserts that the sacred relic was in fact located 37 years ago—although obviously it remains unrecovered.
Front page of declassified CIA document detailing remote viewing session on the Ark of the Covenant. (United States Central Intelligence Agency).
Remote Viewing the Ark’s Location
The CIA document recounts the results of a session in which the remote viewer described the target as "a container" housing another container within it. The report further details that the object was composed of wood, gold, and silver and featured the depiction of a six-winged angel.
The viewer identified the object as resembling a coffin and stated that it was situated somewhere in the Middle East. Additionally, they noted the presence of Arabic-speaking individuals in the surrounding area. Notably, the participant was unaware before the session that they were searching for the lost Ark, and the coordinates they were given were such that it was impossible to tell where on the globe the artifact was suspected of being.
Biblical tradition holds that this gold-covered wooden chest was crafted around 1445 BC. The Ten Commandments, which were inscribed on stone tablets, were given to Moses by God and contained foundational laws, such as "thou shalt not kill" and "honor thy mother and father."
Many scholars suggest that the Ark remained within the ancient temple for centuries, during which time only the High Priest of the Israelites was permitted to view it, and only on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. Then, at some point, it vanished without a trace, meaning it might have been either been stolen or moved in secret to a more secure location to protect it from thieves.
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Despite its unknown fate, the declassified CIA report—linked to the secretive "Project Sun Streak"—suggests that US intelligence agencies were interested in finding the Ark, and were relatively convinced that their remote viewer had done so.
Project Sun Streak Exposed
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and other intelligence organizations, including the CIA, employed individuals who reportedly possessed paranormal abilities to acquire intelligence on distant events.
Written summary of the results of the remote viewing session of the Ark of the Covenant. (United States Central Intelligence Agency).
Project Sun Streak was one such initiative that sought to use remote viewers to identify and gather intelligence on distant locations through a process of psychic visualization (clairvoyance), essentially relying on their ability to project their consciousness outside of their bodies. Remote viewers were tasked with a range of operations, including tracking fugitives and locating hostages held by terrorist organizations.
The existence of this project gained renewed public attention after it was discussed in a recent episode of the Ninjas are Butterflies podcast. Podcast host Josh Hooper initially dismissed Project Sun Streak as a hoax, but was surprised to find official documentation of the program, and the eye-opening Ark of the Covenant session on the CIA’s website.
"I was like... 'what am I looking at?'" Hooper said, in an interview with the Daily Mail.
The CIA document describes a training exercise that took place on December 5, 1988. During the session, a remote viewer projected their consciousness beyond their physical self in an effort to locate the Ark of the Covenant, recording their perceptions along the way. "What he wrote was bone-chilling," Hooper commented.
The remote viewer detailed that the artifact was hidden underground in a dark and damp location. Their observations suggested the Ark played a role in uniting people and held a spiritual and ceremonial significance. They also believed it contained profound historical knowledge not yet understood.
Furthermore, the viewer claimed that the Ark was guarded by powerful entities and could only be accessed by those deemed worthy. The document stated that when the correct time arrived, the locking mechanism would be found to be relatively simple. However, anyone attempting to force it open improperly would be "destroyed by the container’s protectors through the use of a power unknown to us."
Drawing made by remote viewer of the 'white mosque' with a domed top and windows where the Ark is being held. (United States Central Intelligence Agency).
The declassified report includes sketches and handwritten notes from the remote viewing session. Among these drawings are images of what appear to be architectural features, a domed mosque, eight figures resembling mummies, a wheel, and a winged creature referred to as a seraphim. The document also contains lists of cryptic words such as "death," "forbidden," "protected," "sacred," "destroyed," "pain," and "anguish."
Theories Abound, but Still No Ark
Some researchers speculate that the Ark of the Covenant may be hidden somewhere in Ethiopia. Although the remote viewer placed it in the Middle East, Ethiopia is home to a sizable Arabic-speaking population and has numerous mosques.
A longstanding Ethiopian religious legend holds that the Ark was brought to the country by Menelik, believed to be the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. The Queen of Sheba, who hailed from Ethiopia, ruled over a kingdom that included parts of modern-day Yemen. According to the legend, Menelik journeyed to Jerusalem to study under his father and ultimately took the Ark with him back to Aksum, Ethiopia, where it was placed in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion.
Emperor Menelik Bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Aksum. (Afrohistory/CC BY-SA 4.0).
British scholar Edward Ullendorff, an expert in Semitic languages and Ethiopian studies, claimed to have seen the Ark inside the church during World War II. However, in 2018, historian Tudor Parfitt disputed this assertion, stating that what Ullendorff actually saw was merely a replica.
Parfitt explained, "What he saw was what you find in any Ethiopian church, which is a model of the Ark of the Covenant." He further noted that Ullendorff had remarked that the artifact "didn't differ in any way from many arks he had seen in other churches in Ethiopia," and it was "neither ancient nor the original Ark."
Despite centuries of speculation, the true fate of this sacred relic remains an unsolved mystery, waiting for definitive evidence to emerge. While the CIA document is extremely intriguing, the information it produced did not produce a specific address or landmark where the Ark might be located, so no rescue operation could be mounted. But if the information obtained by the remote viewer is correct and not just a product of his imagination, it means that the Ark does definitely exist and it is being kept safe and sound somewhere in the Middle East, which could narrow the range of a future search to at least some degree.
Top image: ‘The Ark Passes Over the Jordan,’ painting by James Tissot, c. 1896–1902.
Source: Jewish Museum, New York City/Public Domain.
By Nathan Falde
