“… But God remembered Noah…the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. And the water continued to abate…” Genesis 8 1, 4, 5
The day that we visited the Noah’s Ark site in the mountains of Ararat, near Buyuk Agri Dagi and Kucuk Agri Dagi - Great Mnt Ararat and Little Mnt Ararat - one of the lead researchers, Andrew Jones, was on site. He graciously gave us a fascinating lecture on the history of the site and the status of current scientific work. He led us out to the formation and allowed us to walk on top.
Turkish Army Captain Ilhan Durupinar, a cartographer, was performing an aerial survey of eastern Turkiye for NATO in 1959 and noticed the large boat shaped formation, which was later named after him. A Kurdish shepherd had noted this 515 foot formation from the ground 11 years earlier. He was walking in the area after an earth quake and heavy rain had washed away surrounding mud, leaving the sharp sides of the formation visible on the ground.
In 2026, the first official ground penetrating radar surveys and deep core drilling were permitted by the Turkish government, led by Professor Cenker Atila of Sivas Cumhuriyet University. Independent laboratory analysis at several research centers around the world are studying the scans and charred wood fragments recovered from 30 feet underground.
The scans show linear shapes, right angles. 3 layers and seemingly vacant spaces under the formation. To date only a fraction of the scan data has been fully analyzed and the work continues. Bore hole drilling and soil sampling toke place just this September. All of us, critics and skeptics and those in-between, now have to wait patiently for the scientific and academic work to proceed.
As Christians, we thank God for the gift of faith, a fundamental trust and belief in the truth of the scriptures and in God’s plan of salvation through Christ. This doesn’t lessen the excitement of experiencing tangible pieces of Biblical history at archeological sites and in museums. Will this site turn out to be physical remnants of God’s mercy after the judgement of the great flood, or something else? Either way, it was a thrill to have the chance to visit the site in person!
For more Biblical travel photos and videos visit us at Scripture In Stone blog, link in the bio.
Aerial view of the Durupinar (Noah’s Ark) formation in Eastern Turkiye
