The mysterious ship-like geological formation in the mountains of eastern Türkiye has long been considered just a natural rock formation, but an international scientific team believes it may contain the remains of Noah's Ark.
The formation, known as the Durupınar Formation, is located 18 miles south of Mount Ararat, the highest peak in Turkey. It was unknown to the modern world until 1948, when heavy rains and earthquakes revealed its strange shape, attracting the attention of a shepherd and later researchers.
In the latest attempt to unravel the mystery of the site, a scientific team led by Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar conducted an advanced radar survey using a specialized imaging system developed through US Air Force research, revealing strong subsurface anomalies and distinct layers within the rock formation, challenging the prevailing notion that it is a homogeneous mass of rock.
Andrew Jones, founder and member of the Noah Ark Scans team, said that initial readings have not yet shown a clear boundary between the formation and the bedrock beneath it, adding: "We believe this formation is the remains of Noah's Ark, and that's why we want to subject it to the most rigorous scientific tests possible."
The Bible describes the ship as being about 157 meters long, 26 meters wide, and 16 meters high, dimensions that match the length of the discovered formation, which is 157 meters.
Jones said the team used ground-penetrating radar to detect a network of "passages" converging into a central hollow room they called the "hall," asserting that these spaces are not random but follow a regular pattern, consistent with the biblical description of the ship, which had three interior decks.
He also noted that further studies using infrared thermal imaging indicated the presence of a ship-shaped structure buried deep in the soil.
The team revealed that soil tests in the area showed very high levels of potassium, consistent with the decomposition of large quantities of wood. They also noted that the grass growing inside the formation differed in color from the grass outside, which may indicate a different soil composition due to ancient human intervention.
In 2024, the team collected 88 samples from inside and outside the site, and discovered angled structures up to 20 feet below the surface, which may represent rooms inside the ship.
The team emphasized that the current findings are preliminary and that radar anomalies alone do not constitute conclusive evidence of an archaeological origin for the site. However, they plan to conduct core excavations at the locations showing the strongest anomalies to obtain physical samples from within the formation and possibly install a camera to explore any discovered voids.
Researchers acknowledge that the evidence so far is still preliminary, and stress that radar anomalies alone are not enough to prove that the formation is man-made, amid ongoing debate between supporters of this hypothesis and those who reject it, who see it as merely a natural geological formation.
