Have Archaeologists recovered pieces of Noah's Ark?

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Well the short answer to this one is "No, not any that are confirmed to be genuine pieces of the ark." (If it could be confirmed.)

However, in some sense you could say that archeologists have "found" Noah's ark in that they have uncovered parallel stories in other ancient Middle Eastern cultures i.e. the flood story in the epic of Gilgamesh (Babylonian) and Atra-Hasis (Assyrian). The earliest of these dates to ~2500 BC around 1200-1300 years before Moses who tradition has it wrote Genesis. Although the dating of Genesis is still a matter of debate (certainly concerning editing and final form - with most scholars in the 200-1000 BC bracket), there is no doubt that these very similar stories predate the Genesis version.

This suggests that Noah's flood is a retelling (or if you prefer improving) of a well-known Middle Eastern folk/religious tale. However, the Biblical writer(s) in their retelling provide(s) a moral rational for the destruction and for the reason for the survival of Noah and his family- rather than it being merely the capricious decision of the gods. God never loses control of the situation unlike the gods in the epic of Gilgamesh who nearly destroy themselves through their own actions.

The Biblical story is used to pass on the message that corruption, violence, unkindness etc., undermine the society in which they occur and ultimately lead to destruction. As the Psalmist says through wicked deeds like this the foundations of the Earth are moved. (Psalm 82:5) Additionally it stresses God's power in contrast to the weakness of the gods in other versions of the story.

This message is radically different from the older Middle Eastern version and provides insight into the difference between Israelite religion and the religions of the surrounding peoples, most notably due to the Israelites' monotheistic/moral universe outlook.

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A medieval priest claimed to gave been given a piece on Mt Ararat. It was given away as relics.

More recently, Ron Wyatt claimed to have found it, in agreement with the Biblical record, in the Mountains of Ararat (plural).

Plenty would disagree, but the Turkish gov't agreed and built a welcome center.

It hasn't gotten much tourism, or further study, however, because of political turmoil in the area since.

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