Archaeologists plan a mission to explore the Ark that inspired Indiana Jones in the hopes of discovering the Ten Commandments

The search for the Ark that inspired the Indiana Jones blockbuster has been given a new lease of life.

The Ark of the Covenant, a wooden and gold plated, box is supposed to contain the famous stone tablets that carry Ten Commandments.

But despite its fame, nobody has ever been able to find the sacred box.

The unexplored biblical site of Kiryat Ye'arim in West Jerusalem will be explored for the first time between August 7 and September 1

Moses and Joshua bowing to the Ark of the Covenant, which was supposed to be kept at the former site of Kiriath-Jearim, in West Jerusalem, for two decade

WHERE ELSE IS THE ARK RUMOURED TO BE KEPT?

• Mount Nebo: An ancient biblical text claims that the prophet Jeremiah buried the Ark in a cave on Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo is believed to be the site where Moses viewed the Promised Land. Mount Nebo is near the east bank of the Jordan River near Jerusalem.

• Ethiopia: The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims to possess the Ark. The sacred box is kept under guard at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum.

• United Kingdom: British author Graham Phillips claims that an English baron called Ralph de Sudeley found the Ark in Jordan and brought it back to his estate in Herdewyke, Warwickshire

Now, researchers from Israel and France are back on the quest to find the Ark while digging a little explored biblical site, supposed to beheld once the lost artifact.

The ancient site of Kiriath-Jearim, in West Jerusalem, will open for the first time this summer.

"The place is important for several reasons," Professor Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, said both of Israel.

"This is an important and central site in the hills of Jerusalem, whichhas not been studied so far.

"It may be the site only key in Judah, who has not been a systematic archaeological dig."

The Ark was stored in Kiriath-Jearim for two decades, according to the book of Samuel.

The ancient site is referred to as a place of worship several times in the bible and has different names like Kiryat Ye 'Mira, Kiryat Ba' al, Ba'alah and Ba' ale of Judah.


The sacred artefact inspired the plot of the 1981 blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark starring Harrison Ford as Dr Indiana Jones

Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the two stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments

The site is rumored to have been the inspiration for the 1981 blockbuster, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Professor Finkelstein, who will dig the site as well as researchers at the College of France, said: "it is reasonable to assume there was a temple here."

To follow the story, the place where they took the Ark of the Covenant was not, of course, just a field or under a tree, they refer to a place of important worship.

Scientists will explore the ancient site between 7 August and 1 September.