By Eli Garcia-Mendez –
A group of amateur archaeologists believe they may have found Noah’s ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey.
On the slopes of Mount Ararat, at a site called the Durupinar formation, researchers have discovered what looks like the outline of a massive ship. For Christians, the location is significant: the Bible says Noah’s Ark came to rest “upon the mountains of Ararat” after the flood.
“The evidence we’re seeing is extraordinary,” says Andrew Jones, a researcher leading the effort. “Ground-penetrating radar shows layers and structures beneath the surface that match the description of the Ark in Genesis.”
This is not the first time Christian scientists and Bible believers have thought they found the Ark. Traditional archaeology, however, casts shade upon the findings as overly-enthusiastic, even calling it pseudo-archaeology. Even Creationist Ken Ham, who leads the Noah’s Ark Museum in Kentucky, urges exercising caution when considering the Durupinar site.
That said, what the Noah’s Ark Scans group is bringing new to the examination of this site is subsoil scans and soils tests. Their findings? The inside contains more biological material than outside, and the shapes of the formation seem to fit the Biblical specifications.
“When you look at the size of it, it is exactly 300 Royal Egyptian cubits (538 feet long),” Jones says. “That’s exactly what Moses wrote in the book of Genesis. Then we started doing geophysical scans that can peer below the level of the soil like radar, and they’re showing a pattern of structure that you would not expect in nature.”
Soil tests showed 3x organic matter inside the “boat formation,” he adds. “If it were just part of the mountainside, you would expect to see the exact same chemical analysis from inside versus outside the structure.”
Jones is not an archaeologist. His website says that he works with Turkish archaeologists. According to the NY Daily News, Turkish geologist Dr. Memet Salih Bayraktutan analyzed the soil samples.
From videos on the Jones’s website, it appears he is building a center for tourists at the site. The website also boasts increases in subscribers on YouTube and other social media.
At the 7th International Mount Ararat and Noah’s Ark symposium Oct. 19-21, 2023, keynote speakers were Dr. Randall Younker, an archaeologist, and academic Dr. Jiří Moskala, both from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. The symposium was held at Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University in Turkey.
To “see” underground, the team used ground-penetrating radar (GPR) in 2019. Using dual-frequency radar pulses, researchers detected rectangular shapes about 22 feet below the surface, potentially chambers. Even a central passageway was discerned.
Secular archaeologists and geologists generally agree there is no evidence for a world-wide flood.
The ”confirmation” of Noah’s ark would challenge current assumptions in the scientific world. It would be more significant than other archaeological findings which confirm Jesus, his disciples and ancient Israel.
Jones said excavation will eventually be needed, but they to develop plans to preserve the site through harsh winters of the region.
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