On the banks of a small river in the Netherlands, Johan Huibers has constructed a real-life Noah’s Ark, built to biblical scale using the ancient measure of cubits – an arm’s length, elbow to fingertip.

from Today.MSNBC.com:

Meet the man who’s re-creating Noah’s Ark

While Noah will likely always remain the first name in arks, tourists are chomping at the bit to climb aboard “Johan’s Ark,” an ambitious re-creation of the biblical boat that’s attracting gawkers galore along a waterfront shipyard in Dordrecht, a city in the western Netherlands.

Dutch builder Johan Huibers is expected to complete work on the massive vessel sometime next month in what has been a staggeringly ambitious project to bring one of the best-known stories of the Bible to life. It’s taken three years of his life and $1.6 million out of his pocket, but Huibers, owner of a successful construction company in Holland, says the project is a dream come true – literally.

“I dreamed a part of Holland was flooded,” Huibers, 60, told Janet Shamlian in a report that aired on TODAY Wednesday. “Then, the next day I get the idea to build an ark of Noah.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy