Unproven Noah’s Ark site in Türkiye draws $3,600 tours

AĞRI

Tour companies are exploiting premature hype over an unconfirmed Noah’s Ark location in the foothills of Mount Ağrı in eastern Türkiye, marketing luxury expedition packages that reach $3,600 despite the lack of solid scientific proof from recent surveys.

Professor Cenker Atila , from Sivas Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Letters Archaeology Department, led the Noah’s Ark Research Project, bringing 20 scientists from five countries to the boat-shaped structure between Telçeker and Üzengili villages in Doğubayazıt district. Teams modeled the terrain with drones, scanned the subsurface with radar and extracted 1,000 soil samples for laboratory analysis while conducting core drilling.

Project Vice President Andrew Jones said the most significant finding is the structure is not a monolithic rock block. The core machine continuously extracted soil samples despite large boulders. “Some people claimed this was a natural formation, a monolithic rock taking the shape of a ship through erosion over millions of years,” he said.

Jones said current data does not point to a definitive conclusion, emphasizing that researchers are using scientific methods. Tests will determine if organic, pitch-black soil found deep underground is rotted wood or evidence of human activity. “This could be a natural formation or a man-made structure,” he said.

Atila recently addressed social media claims asserting the ark’s existence was 100 percent proven. “Although we have not reached a 100 percent result yet, we obtained astonishing data,” he said. The findings will be published in scientific articles shortly.

Despite lacking conclusive evidence, global agencies offer 12-day tours covering the formation and alleged Biblical sites, including İshak Paşa Palace, Van Castle and its museum, Urfa and Göbeklitepe, though many locations lack biblical connections. The tour website presents a university letterhead document authored by Atila as an authorization letter, asserting that the study is conducted in partnership with the firm and supported by Turkish institutions.

The Durupınar formation, discovered in 1959 by Turkish mapmaker İlhan Durupınar, has long drawn international attention due to its striking resemblance to a massive vessel. While geologists maintain the structure is a natural limestone formation created by landslides, creationist groups continuously fund expeditions hoping to find biblical artifacts on the mountain.