<P> The pair travels to Cairo, where they meet up with Jones' friend and skilled digger Sallah . Sallah informs them that Belloq and the Nazis are digging for the Well of Souls with a replica of the headpiece (created from the scar on Toht's hand). They quickly realize the Nazi headpiece is incomplete and that the Nazis are digging in the wrong place . The Nazis kidnap Marion and it appears to Jones that she is killed in an exploding truck . After a confrontation with Belloq in a local bar, Jones and Sallah infiltrate the Nazi dig site and use their staff to correctly locate the Ark . Jones discovers Marion is alive when he finds her bound and gagged in a tent . He refuses to release her out of fear of alerting the Nazis . Jones, Sallah, and a small group of diggers unearth the Well of Souls and acquire the Ark . Belloq and Nazi officer Colonel Dietrich arrive and seize the Ark from Jones, throwing Marion into the Well of Souls with him before sealing it back up . Jones and Marion escape to a local airstrip, where Jones has a fistfight with a Nazi mechanic and destroys the flying wing that was to transport the Ark to Berlin . The panicked Nazis remove the Ark in a truck and set off for Cairo, but Jones catches them and retakes it . He makes arrangements to take the Ark to London aboard a tramp steamer . </P> <P> The next day, a Nazi U-boat appears and intercepts the ship . Belloq and Dietrich seize the Ark and Marion but cannot locate Jones, who stows away aboard the U-boat and travels with them to an island in the Aegean Sea . Once there, Belloq plans to test the power of the Ark before presenting it to Hitler . Jones reveals himself and threatens to destroy the Ark with an RPG - 2, but Belloq calls his bluff and Jones surrenders rather than destroy such an important historical artifact and kill Marion in the process . The Nazis take Jones and Marion to an area where the Ark will be opened and tie them to a post to observe . Belloq, dressed as an Israelite high priest, performs a ceremonial opening of the Ark and finds it full of sand . Angelic specters emerge from the Ark, destroying the equipment the Nazis are using to film the opening, and Jones tells Marion to close her eyes and not look . Belloq and the others look on in astonishment as the apparitions are suddenly revealed to be angels of death . A vortex of flame forms above the Ark and shoots bolts of fiery energy into the gathered Nazi soldiers, killing them all . Belloq, Toht and Dietrich all scream in terror as the Ark turns its fury on them: Dietrich's head shrivels up, Toht's face is melted off his skull and Belloq's head explodes . Flames then engulf the remains of the doomed assembly, save for Jones and Marion, and the pillar of fire rises into the sky . The Ark's lid is blasted high into the air before dropping back down onto the Ark and sealing it . Jones and Marion find their ropes burned off and embrace . </P> <P> In Washington, D.C., the Army Intelligence agents inform Jones and Marcus Brody that the Ark is someplace safe and will be studied by "top men". The Ark is then shown being stored in a giant government warehouse among countless similar crates . </P> <Ul> <Li> Harrison Ford as Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr., an archaeology professor who often embarks on perilous adventures to obtain rare artifacts . Jones claims that he has no belief in the supernatural, only to have his skepticism challenged when he discovers the Ark . Spielberg suggested casting Ford as Jones, but Lucas objected, stating that he did not want Ford to become his "Bobby De Niro" or "that guy I put in all my movies"--a reference to Martin Scorsese, who often worked with Robert De Niro . Desiring a lesser known actor, Lucas persuaded Spielberg to help him search for a new talent . Among the actors who auditioned were Tim Matheson, Peter Coyote, John Shea, and Tom Selleck . Selleck was originally offered the role, but became unavailable for the part because of his commitment to the television series Magnum, P.I. . In June 1980, three weeks away from filming, Spielberg persuaded Lucas to cast Ford after producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy were impressed by his performance as Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back . </Li> <Li> Paul Freeman as Dr. René Belloq, Jones' rival . Belloq is also an archaeologist after the Ark, but he is working for the Nazis . He intends to harness the Ark's power himself before Hitler can, but he is killed by the Ark's supernatural powers . Spielberg cast Freeman after seeing him in Death of a Princess . Before Freeman got the part, actor Giancarlo Giannini was originally going to portray Belloq, while singer Jacques Dutronc auditioned for the role, but they lost out to Freeman . </Li> <Li> Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, a spirited, tough former lover of Indiana's . She is the daughter of Abner Ravenwood, Indiana Jones' mentor, and owns a bar in Nepal . Allen was cast after auditioning with Matheson and John Shea . Spielberg was interested in her, as he had seen her performance in National Lampoon's Animal House . Sean Young had previously auditioned for the part, while Debra Winger turned it down . </Li> <Li> John Rhys - Davies as Sallah, "the best digger in Egypt" according to Indiana, who has been hired by the Nazis to help them excavate Tanis . He is an old friend of Indiana, and agrees to help him obtain the Ark, though he fears disturbing it . Spielberg initially approached Danny DeVito to play Sallah, but he could not play the part due to scheduling conflicts . Spielberg cast Rhys - Davies after seeing his performance in Shōgun . </Li> <Li> Ronald Lacey as Major Arnold Toht, an interrogator for the Gestapo and Jones' nemesis, who tries to torture Marion Ravenwood for the headpiece of the Staff of Ra . He is killed by the Ark's supernatural powers . Lacey was cast as he reminded Spielberg of Peter Lorre . Spielberg had originally offered the role to Roman Polanski, who was intrigued at the opportunity to work with Spielberg but decided to turn down the role because he wouldn't be able to make the trip to Tunisia . Klaus Kinski was also offered the role, but he hated the script, calling it "moronically shitty". Michael Sheard, who ended portraying Captain Oskar Schomburg in the film, also auditioned for the role, but he lost out to Lacey . </Li> <Li> Denholm Elliott as Dr. Marcus Brody, a museum curator, who buys the artifacts Indiana obtains for display in his museum . The U.S. government agents approach him with regard to the Ark's recovery, and he sets up a meeting between them and Indiana Jones . Spielberg hired Elliott as he was a big fan of the actor, who had performed in some of his favorite British and American films . </Li> <Li> Wolf Kahler as Colonel Dietrich, a ruthless German officer leading the operation to secure the Ark . He is killed by the Ark's supernatural powers . </Li> <Li> Alfred Molina, in his film debut, as Satipo, one of Jones' guides through the South American jungle . He betrays Jones and steals the golden idol, but is killed by traps before he can leave the temple . </Li> <Li> George Harris as Simon Katanga, captain of the Bantu Wind . </Li> <Li> Anthony Higgins as Major Gobler, Colonel Dietrich's right - hand - man . </Li> <Li> Vic Tablian as Barranca and the Monkey Man . </Li> <Li> Don Fellows as Colonel Musgrove, an Army Intelligence agent . </Li> <Li> William Hootkins as Major Eaton, an Army Intelligence agent . </Li> </Ul>

What happened to the ark in raiders of the lost ark
find me the text answering this question