Fieldwork has been completed as part of research conducted by Sivas Cumhuriyet University at a ship-shaped geographical formation in Ağrı’s Doğubayazıt district that is believed by some to be the remains of Noah’s Ark. American researcher Andrew Jones, who serves as deputy head of the research team, said continuous soil samples had been collected during core drilling operations, while radar scans had detected several anomalies beneath the surface. Jones said laboratory studies were continuing to determine whether the formation was natural or man-made, adding that the final report is expected to be completed in April or May next year.
The ship-shaped formation was discovered on September 11, 1959, by Army Captain İlhan Durupınar, a mapping engineer who was surveying the geography of eastern Türkiye from a Turkish Armed Forces aircraft. Following the discovery, numerous Turkish and international researchers conducted studies in the area amid claims that the formation could be the remains of Noah’s Ark. Most recently, the Noah’s Ark Research Project was launched in May 2026 under the leadership of Prof.
Cenker Atila, a faculty member in the Department of Archaeology at Sivas Cumhuriyet University’s Faculty of Letters. Around 20 scientists from five countries took part in the project, which conducted approximately 90 days of fieldwork at the ship-shaped formation located between the villages of Telçeker and Üzengili in Doğubayazıt. As part of the research, drones were used to create a current model of the terrain, while a new-generation radar system was deployed to scan beneath the surface.
Around 1,000 soil samples were collected from different points of the formation and sent to laboratories for analysis. Core drilling operations were also carried out at the site. Jones, who serves as deputy head of the project, said one of the most significant findings of this season’s research was the observation that the formation does not consist of a single mass of solid rock.
Jones said continuous soil samples were obtained during the core drilling operations. However, the biggest finding we obtained through drilling is that the structure is entirely soil. There are some large blocks of rock in the area, but the core drilling machine continuously brought up soil samples,” he said.
Jones stressed that the data obtained so far do not point to a definitive conclusion. What we are doing now is investigating it using scientific methods. We are conducting studies on soil samples taken from deep underground.
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