Noah’s Ark Found? Mount Ararat Research Leads to Evidence

A team of scientists believe they have found evidence of human activity at what some believe are the remains of Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey near the Iranian border.

The research was published by the Turkish-language newspaper, Hurriyet.

“It was believed to belong to Noah’s Ark!” the October 26, 2023, headline claims in Turkish. The article contains a video that shows the large boat-like outline of the potential ruins. According to the New York Post, the research derived from scientists with three universities in Turkey and the United States. It’s called the “Mount Ararat and Noah’s Ark Research Team,” the Post reported.

“In a remote corner of Turkey, a unique geological formation, unearthed on September 11, 1959, by Turkish Army Captain Ilhan Durupinar, is raising eyebrows and piquing the interest of biblical scholars and geologists alike,” the site Noah’s Ark Scans reported. “This boat-shaped geological curiosity, commonly referred to as the Durupinar formation, is considered by some to be the final resting place of Noah’s Ark.”

According to the site, “Perhaps most compellingly, the length of the Durupinar formation aligns perfectly with the dimensions of the ark as described in Genesis 6:15 of the Bible.”

Here’s what you need to know:

Researchers took Samples of Rock & Soil From the Area of the Possible Noah’s Ark Site

According to Hurriyet, rock and soil samples “taken from the area where the ruins of ‘Noah’s Ark’ are believed to be located in Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı were examined, and the first results of the research were published.”

According to the results, “it was determined that there were human activities in the region from the period between 5500 and 3000 BC.”

The article quotes a professor named Faruk Kaya as saying, “With the dating, it is not possible to say that the ship is here. We need to work for a long time to reveal this. In the next period, we agreed to carry out a joint study under the leadership of ITU and Andrew University and AICU. Three universities will continue their work in this field in the future.”

The Post quoted Kaya as adding, “According to the first findings obtained from the studies, it is thought that there have been human activities in the region since the Chalcolithic period, that is, between the years 5500 and 3000 BC.”

To be clear, the research has not definitively proven that the site is Noah’s Ark; however, the researchers are attempting to prove that point.

According to Unilad, the samples “initially found that the samples contained clayey, marine materials and seafood, which are often the result of human activity.” That means humans might have been on board at the time of the Great Flood, the site reported.

Kaya is affiliated with Istanbul Technical University and, according to the Post, he is vice rector of Agri Ibrahim Cecen University. Kaya has written about the Noah’s Ark research on his X page, writing, “My book, Mount Ararat and Noah’s Ark, which is the product of a long and meticulous work, was published and took its place in bookstores. I present to you this book, which answers many questions about Mount Ararat and Noah’s Ark….”

Noah’s Ark Scans explains:

In addition to the lab testing, the upcoming summer will witness an expansion of the geophysical survey work on the Durupinar site. Armed with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology, the combined forces of the two university teams will continue to examine the site’s subsurface. The use of GPR scans will provide an in-depth and detailed understanding of the buried structures and features, further illuminating the hidden characteristics of this compelling formation. These concerted efforts underscore the scientific community’s commitment to unveiling the secrets that the Durupinar site may hold. The final stages might include core drilling and geological testing of the rocks at the site, and if warranted, potential excavations.

See a round-up of research and symposiums on the site.

The Possible Noah’s Ark Ruin Site Was Discovered Decades Ago

Hurriyet reported that the ruins were actually discovered in 1959, but the scientists are conducting additional research on them.

“‘Noah’s Ark’ was discovered on September 11, 1959 by Captain İlhan Durupınar, a survey engineer who flew in the region with a plane belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to draw the map of the Eastern Anatolia Region, in the land between Telçeker and Üzengili villages of Doğubayazıt district,” the article says.

“The alleged ruins attract the attention of local and foreign tourists. Giant fissures have formed in the ruins, which are under increasing threat of landslides every year. ‘Mount Ararat and Noah’s Ark Research Team’ was established in cooperation between AICU and ITU for scientific research on the ruins, whose structure was damaged due to landslides,” it adds.

The structure was damaged by landslides in recent years, The Post reported, adding that the site consists of “a 538-foot geographic feature made of limonite, believed by some to be the petrified remains of Noah’s Ark.”

According to The Post, “The Durupinar site is 18 miles south of the Greater Mount Ararat summit, which the Book of Genesis states is where the ark came to rest on the seventh month and seventeenth day.”

However, according to the site Noah’s Ark Research, a 1948 news article by the Associated Press says the site was first discovered that year by a local farmer, writing, “The petrified remains of an object which peasants insist resembles a ship has been found high up Mt. Ararat, biblical landing place of Noah’s Ark. Apparently hidden for centuries, it came to light last summer when unusually warm weather melted away an ancient mantle of snow and ice.”

The AP article reprinted on that state attributes the discovery to a Kurdish farmer named Reshit. “Reshit said it was the prow of a ship protruding into a canyon down which tons of melting ice and snow had been gushing for more than two months. The prow was almost entirely revealed, but the rest of the object still was covered. The contour of the earth, Reshit said, indicated the invisible part of the object was shaped like a ship. The prow, he added, was about the size of a house,” the AP article states.

“I know a ship when I see one,” he said, according to AP. “This is a ship.”

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