An international research team investigating the Durupinar Formation near Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey claims sub-surface radar surveys have 100 percent confirmed that a famous boat-shaped mound is a man-made object rather than a natural geological feature.
Researchers with Noah's Ark Scans say recent deep-penetration radar scans and physical core drilling revealed structural layers, right-angle intersections, corridors and large subterranean cavities that match historical descriptions of the biblical vessel.
According to the Book of Genesis in the Bible, God commanded Noah to build a massive three-deck wooden ship to preserve human life and animal species during a global deluge that some biblical chronologies place more than 4,300 years ago.
The Durupinar Formation, located in the rugged mountains of Agri province near Turkey's border with Iran, has drawn global interest for decades due to its striking outline, which resembles the hull of a large vessel resting on a mountainside.
Subsurface radar scans at the site revealed a thick underground layer divided into three distinct sublayers, a structural feature that researchers compared directly to the biblical account of an ark built with three internal decks.
Physical core drilling conducted at the mound also extracted samples from an underground layer rich in organic matter, which scientists are currently analyzing to test for signs of ancient decayed wood.
Andrew Jones, an independent researcher and the founder of Noah's Ark Scans who has studied the location for nearly 30 years, told the Daily Mail that neither drilling nor radar scans inside the shape detected solid bedrock or limestone.
"This destroys the theory the site is a solid limestone block shaped into a boat by glaciers and weathering after coming down the mountainside, and it also refutes the theory that this is bedrock around which mud flowed to form the shape," Jones said.
Jones acknowledged that current physical evidence has not definitively proven the site is the ancient vessel, but he emphasized that the team's latest technical data marks a significant milestone in field research.
"I firmly believe the Durupınar Formation represents the buried remains of Noah's Ark," Jones said, describing the latest radar scans as a compelling new line of evidence indicating non-natural construction.
Advanced Radar Scans Reveal Subterranean Structure
Archaeological investigations at the Durupinar site began in earnest with a major ground-penetrating radar survey in 2019, which detected linear and angular anomalies that researchers interpreted as potential walls, rooms and internal compartments.
In 2026, Dr Khosrow Bakhtar led a deeper investigation using an advanced radar system developed through United States Air Force research, which allowed signals to probe significantly deeper into the earth than standard equipment.
Bakhtar's high-powered system detected massive layered reflectors, which are subterranean boundaries that bounce radar signals back to surface receivers, alongside large sediment-filled cavities buried deep within the mound.
Scan data highlighted five prominent subterranean anomalies that appear to form an interconnected tunnel system extending across roughly 151 feet, with an average structural height of over 14 feet.
Two additional major anomalies measured approximately 26 feet and 39 feet in height, while another distinct underground feature stood about 23 feet high.
At several survey points across the formation, radar equipment detected a distinct structural layer measuring between 16 and 20 feet thick, situated approximately 16 feet beneath the surface of the ground.
Researchers noted that this underground layer contained three separate sublayers, reinforcing theories that the internal space of the structure was divided into multiple levels.
The research team clarified that radar scans do not produce direct visual photographs of open rooms or corridors, but instead map how electromagnetic waves bounce off different subterranean materials and structural boundaries.
Engineers and archaeologists are using these detailed wave measurements as a precise spatial road map to select the most promising locations for targeted physical core drilling.
"What excites me most about this phase is that we are transitioning from remote imaging to collecting physical samples deep within the site, allowing us to scientifically evaluate hypotheses that have been debated for decades," Jones said.
Decaying Tiers and Core Sample Testing
Lauren Witzke, director of marketing and fundraising for Noah's Ark Scans, reported that the exposed upper sections of the mound are suffering from environmental weathering and erosion.
"The top, and most exposed, tier is decaying, and the hardened mudflow encasing the rims of the boat are basically the only thing holding it together," Witzke said in a statement.
"It's very fragile, as to be expected with 4,300-year-old wood. But beneath the surface, the bottom two layers appear to still be intact, and we believe we have hit a floor of petrified wood," Witzke added.
Despite these initial claims, researchers have not yet scientifically confirmed that the recovered core sample material contains wood, nor have they dated any excavated material to 4,300 years ago.
Jones stressed that the 4,300-year timeframe represents a proposed timeline derived from biblical chronology rather than a verified scientific age established by laboratory testing.
To establish a definitive timeline, the research team must isolate suitable organic material from core samples and submit the specimens for formal radiocarbon testing.
Ancient Pottery and Site History
In addition to subsurface imaging and drilling, team members discovered ancient ceramic pottery fragments on the ground outside the main formation.
Laboratory examination showed the pottery dates across multiple historical periods, spanning from the Chalcolithic, or Copper Age, through the Iron Age.
Archaeologists say these ceramic finds confirm that human populations occupied or visited the Turkish mountainside across an extended period of ancient history, highlighting specific areas that warrant further excavation.
Witzke suggested the ceramic vessels could be connected to the biblical story, noting that pottery of that era was used to store essential food and water supplies.
"It's quite possible this pottery was used to store food and supplies on the Ark, and was used as Noah's family exited the Ark and set up camp (the Bible says Noah was living in a tent)," Witzke said.
However, Jones cautioned that ceramic artifacts alone cannot prove the formation is Noah's Ark or demonstrate that ancient inhabitants were connected to the biblical vessel.
The Durupinar Formation lies roughly 18 miles south of Mount Ararat, Turkey's highest mountain peak, which reaches an elevation of 16,854 feet in eastern Anatolia.
Local historical accounts state that heavy rains and seismic activity in 1948 first exposed the unusual earthwork, which was reportedly spotted by a local Kurdish shepherd.
The site gained international attention in 1959 when Turkish Army Captain Ilhan Durupinar identified its distinct ship-shaped outline while reviewing aerial photography taken for a national mapping survey.
Decades of Geological Controversy
Fascination with the Durupinar site stems largely from its dimensions and elongated shape, which closely match biblical descriptions of Noah's Ark provided in ancient scripture.
According to biblical text, the Ark measured approximately 515 feet long, 86 feet wide and 52 feet high, dimensions that align closely with measurements taken across the Turkish mound.
Despite these geometric similarities, the site has divided geologists, archaeologists and biblical scholars for more than six decades.
Early expeditions that surveyed and excavated portions of the earthwork reported finding only natural soil, mudflows and local rock formations, leading most scientists to conclude it was a natural geological phenomenon created by landslides.
While mainstream geologists continue to favor natural explanations formed by weathering, researchers at Noah's Ark Scans maintain that new high-resolution radar surveys, organic core samples and ancient pottery justify ongoing physical exploration.
