The discovery of a boat-shaped mound close the the border between Turkey and Iran has prompted wild theories that “Noah’s Ark” may be buried beneath.
A group of archaeologists and scientists called the Mount Ararat and Noah’s Ark Research Team carried out research on the Durupinar formation, which is located two miles from the border in eastern Turkey.
The geological formation in the Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı has been a source of intriguise since its gaining wider public attention in the 1950s.
But new technology has been used by a team of experts led by Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), Andrew University, and Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University (AİÇÜ) to analyse if the soil and see whether there was any evidence of human activity around the boat-shaped formation.
The team gathered samples they announced in October 2023 dated back between 3500 and 5000 years, appearing to align with the timeframe suggested in the Biblical account.
Marine materials were also discovered in the soil, suggesting that it had once been submerged in deep water, and also encouraging the idea that it could be the famous vessel described in Genesis.
In the Biblical narrative, the ark ended up on the “mountains of Ararat” in Turkey, the country’s tallest peak, after withstanding a flood that lasted 150 days, drowning Earth and all the creatures on it.
Only Noah, his family, and the animals he was was instructed by God to bring aboard survived, according to the narrative.
Intriguingly the physical dimensions of the site appear to match that of the traditional description the vessel, which was “300 cubits, 50 cubits, by 30 cubits”, or as much as 515 feet long, 86 feet wide, with a height of 52 feet.
But Professor Dr. Faruk Kaya, Vice Rector of Agri Ibrahim Cecen University, has suggested that besides any Biblical intrigue, the site site provides important insights into human history.
He previously said: “According to the initial results, it’s believed there were human activities in this region since the Chalcolithic period,” as per The Sun US.
It was during this period, from 5500 to 3000 BC, that humanity went through a transition from using stone tools to metal ones, suggesting the site was dates back to a time that coincided with ancient civilizations.
Though some believe the story of Noah’s ark literally there is currently no evidence to support its existence, or geologic evidence that a cataclysmic flood was unleashed across the world.
David Montgomery, a professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington in Seattle previously told Live Science: “The one thing we know for sure from geology is that a global flood never happened.
“If you look at it as literally a global flood that covered the world’s highest mountains, I’m sorry, there’s just not enough water on Earth to do that.”
Faruk Kaya, one of the researchers on the project, said back in 2023, “With the dating, it is not possible to say that the ship is here.
“We need to work for a long time to reveal this. In the next period, we agreed to carry out a joint study under the leadership of ITU, Andrew University and AICU. Three universities will continue their work in this field in the future,” as per Turkish news publication Hurriyet.