I was a CIA agent... here's where the Ark of the Covenant is hidden

Legend has it that the Ark of the Covenant disappeared more than 1,500 years ago, but a former CIA spy claims to know exactly where the sacred chest is hidden. 

Major Ed Dames, who worked for the agency in the 1980s, was part of a secret Army program that used individuals, known as remote viewers, who claimed they could perceive information about distant objects, people or locations.

Documents show he was involved in the Stargate project, which ran from 1977 until it was terminated in 1995 when it was deemed unsuccessful in collecting intelligence. 

Maj Dames told DailyMail.com that he recently use his remote viewing skills to track down the missing Ark, claiming he located it inside the Cave of the Patriarchs.This religious site is located in Hebron, West Bank. 

According to Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions, it is thought to be the burial place of several key Biblical figures, including Abraham and Jacob. 

The Bible describes the Ark of the Covenant as a gold chest built by the Israelites shortly after they fled Egypt around the 13th century BC.

Moses placed the Ten Commandments inside this chest, which some Biblical historians believe was then kept inside the Holy of Holies: the innermost chamber of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem.

During the Babylonian sack of Jerusalem in 586 BC, the Ark vanished without a trace, according to the Bible. 

Maj Dames used his mind to search for the relic, finding himself 'inside some type of a stone tunnel.'

In this role, he said he taught others how to use remote viewing and assigned training exercises including a search for the Ark of the Covenant. 

Today, Maj Dames still teaches remote viewing. But he primarily uses his own abilities to find lost children. 

Last year, he performed a search for missing French toddler Emile Soleil, pinpointing a field that turned out to be immediately next to the site of the boy's remains.  

Maj Dames said he conducted a remote viewing search for the lost Ark last year.

Recalling his experiences during the session, he said: 'I'm inside a dark place, and I feel very insecure because there’s a feeling that I can’t describe. Never felt it before, and it scares me.' 

‘I’m inside some type of a stone tunnel, and there’s an object, and the object is boxy and it’s heavy and dense,' he added.

‘It’s dark, I’m still a little bit antsy, but I am still in control of my unconscious,' he said.

‘The tangible ideas associated with the target are a boxy structure.'

But its intangible details began to emerge too, and Maj Dames had a sense that the target was a 'holy relic' that he'd never seen or experienced before. 

As he continued to explore, more intangible details about the target surfaced, and he began to sense that it was ‘historic’ and ‘biblical.' 

Maj Dames then conducted another remote viewing session which he said allowed him to pinpoint the Ark's location 'within meters,' concluding that it was in the Cave of the Patriarchs. 

He also claimed that this wasn't the first time he was involved in the hunt for this sacred chest, he said. 

While working for the Stargate program, he claims he assigned the target as a training exercise.

A recently resurfaced CIA document describes what was uncovered during this exercise, tracing the Ark to an unspecified location in the Middle East.

While that initial search narrowed down the Ark's possible location to the Middle East, Maj Dames believes he now knows its exact location. 

To locate this target, he performed a 'technical' remote viewing search. 

This is the most commonly used form of remote viewing, he said. In this type of session, the operator enters an altered state of consciousness that allows them to observe a distant target.

During the session, the operator uses their five senses ‘vicariously’ to discern the target, essentially locating it through the mind’s eye, Maj Dames explained.

The psychic's eyes are open the entire time, and they use a pen and paper to document their observations.

‘We’ll use textures, color, smells, taste, temperatures and sounds to get a basic idea about the target, and then we’ll use dimensions and densities — hollow, thick, heavy — and we’re very precise in these kinds of things,' Maj Dames said. 

He admitted that the 'working hypothesis' behind remote viewing 'does not meet Western scientific theory,' as there is no evidence to support the existence of psychic phenomena. 

But in the 1970s and 80s, the US government thought psychics could be a valuable asset to their intelligence operations, and spent up to $20 million in taxpayer dollars on the Stargate project and other related programs, the LA Times reported in 1995.

The Bible describes the Ark of the Covenant as a sacred, gold-covered wooden chest built by the Israelites shortly after they fled Egypt around the 13th century BC. 

Moses placed the Ten Commandments — a list of directives given to him by God — inside the chest, according to the Bible.

Some Biblical historians believe the Ark was housed inside the ancient temple of Jerusalem for centuries.

During this time, only the High Priest of the Israelites could see it, and even he was only allowed near it on Judaism's holiest holiday, Yom Kippur. 

And then, it vanished.

Today, there is no archaeological or historical evidence to suggest the Ark ever existed.

But Maj Dames strongly believes it is real — hidden deep underground in the Cave of the Patriarchs.

No one is permitted to enter these caves, which are regarded as as ancient, holy burial sites. Unless that changes, Maj Dames' theory about the Ark's location may never be verified.