Palaeontology

Evidence of historic flood found at 'Noah's Ark' site in Turkey

By T.K. Randall
March 12, 2025

Image: Durupinar Formation
Credit: Zorka Sojka / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Whether or not you believe it ever existed at all, the final resting place of Noah's Ark - the biblical vessel that was said to have carried two of every animal to safety after a devastating flood swallowed the land - has remained a mystery since ancient times.

One site in particular - known as the Durupinar formation - is thought by some to be the petrified remains of the ark itself. Vaguely resembling the shape of a vessel, it is situated in Turkey approximately 3km north of the Iranian border and around 6,500ft above sea level.

What's more, its size seems to roughly match that of the ark which is described in the Bible as being "a length of three hundred cubits, a width of fifty cubits, and a height of thirty cubits."

Now a new study has found even more evidence to link the formation to the story of Noah in the form of clues indicating that the entire region was underwater at the time of the biblical Great Flood.30 samples of soil and rock from the site were analyzed and determined to contain clay-like materials, marine deposits and even traces of small shellfish dating back around 3,500 - 5,000 years.

"Our studies show that this region harboured 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 international team of researchers wrote.

Although the findings don't confirm that the Durupinar formation is Noah's Ark itself, they add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that the site - which is situated near Mount Ararat - may be connected to the biblical story of Noah and the flood.

Whether it will ever be possible to definitively conclude that the formation really is Noah's biblical vessel, however, remains to be seen.

Source: Mail Online

Tags: Noah