Researchers have found that a boat-shaped mound — long believed by the faithful to be Noah’s Ark — was most likely submerged under water during a devastating flood some 5,000 years ago, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The international team of experts has been working together since 2021 to study the Durupinar Formation, which they believe could be the site of a mᴀssive preserved vessel.
The 538-foot geological structure, composed of limonite — an ore of iron — is located approximately 20 miles south of Mount Ararat’s summit, in Turkey near the Iranian border in the Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı.
This formation has interested experts for decades due to its ship-like shape and dimensions, similar to the biblical description of Noah’s Ark and Mount Ararat’s mention in religious texts.
According to the Bible, the dimensions of the vessel were “a length of three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits,” mirroring those of the Durupinar formation, “and the ark rested … upon the mountains of Ararat.”
New findings have also shown that the formation was once submerged under water as soil samples containing traces of clay-like materials, marine deposits and seafood remnants were dated back to a time when the biblical floods are said to have occurred, between 3,500 and 5000 years ago.
“According to the initial results, it’s believed there were human activities in this region since the Chalcolithic period,” professor Faruk Kaya, a lead researcher on the subject, told The Jerusalem Post.
The marine deposits and seafood remnants have pushed researchers to believe the area was once filled with water.
“Our studies show that this region harbored life in that period and that, at some point, it was covered by water, which reinforces the possibility that a catastrophic event of great magnitude occurred,” the researchers stated.
Previous research concluded that humans had likely been in the area, but the additional evidence of past floods in the region has encouraged those who believe this to be Noah’s Ark.
Various religious texts, including those touted by Christianity, Judaism and Islam, all reference Noah and the ark, but scientists have yet to determine the authenticity of the stories.
Since its discovery in 1948, many have theorised that the Durupinar formation is the fossilised wood of Noah’s Ark.
The reality of these occurrences has continued to be a topic of debate between scientists and scholars for centuries. However, recent research has pushed more experts to believe the legend may be true.
Researchers involved in the project noted, “The evidence suggests that the story might have a basis in reality.”
