Full Breakdown
Noah’s Ark Scans Claims Man-Made Structure Beneath Turkey’s Durupinar Formation
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Investigation
Noah’s Ark Scans (NAS), a U.S. nonprofit founded by Andrew Jones, is surveying the Durupinar Formation in eastern Turkey. The 515-foot boat-shaped ridge near the “mountains of Ararat” has attracted Ark-search interest since a Kurdish shepherd reported it in 1959.
In 2026 the Turkish government authorized NAS to conduct ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography, lidar imaging, and core drilling to depths of up to 18 m (?59 ft). Engineer Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar says the radar signatures are “organized, structural” and unlike solid limestone or bedrock, supporting the hypothesis of a buried, human-made object matching Genesis dimensions.
Background & Context
Captain Ilhan Durupinar first documented the formation’s outline in 1959, prompting speculation about the biblical Ark. Drilling and limited radar surveys in the 1960s-80s found only natural rock. A 1996 study by geologist Lorence Gene Collins and researcher David Franklin Fasold concluded the structure was entirely natural, dismissing the Ark hypothesis.
NAS argues that modern imaging and drilling now allow a more definitive test.
Data & Statistics
- Length: ~515 ft, matching the biblical measurement.
- Drilling depth: up to 18 m (?59 ft).
- Radar findings: linear and angular anomalies interpreted as possible “corridors, chambers, and hallways.”
- Previous core data (1980s): reached ~10 m (?33 ft) and identified only natural rock.
No wood or other organic material has been confirmed in any core sample.
Official Statements & Responses
Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar described the anomalies as “extraordinary” and asserted certainty they originate from a single original object, without labeling it a ship.
Criticism & Opposition
An American salvage expert quoted in a 1990s paper said a natural rock formation near Dogubayazit has been misidentified as Noah’s Ark. Skeptics argue the radar signatures can be explained by geological processes.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- NAS claim: Radar and drilling reveal a non-geological, organized structure that could be a ship.
- Scientific consensus (1996 study, National Academies): No credible evidence of a man-made artifact.
NAS has not yet produced peer-reviewed data; no wood or definitive archaeological artifacts have been identified. Independent verification is pending.
Verbatim Quotes
- “No bedrock or solid limestone has so far been identified in the holes drilled inside the formation,” — Andrew Jones, NAS founder
- “This is the most significant finding for 40 years or 45 years of my career. I have never seen this kind of anomalies before. I have never in my life,” — Khosrow Bakhtar
What’s Next
NAS will analyze core samples for organic material, including “ancient animal DNA,” and plans further drilling to map the anomalies, aiming to determine whether the structure is a vessel and if it can be linked to the biblical narrative.