Noah’s Ark mystery deepens after tunnels found in Turkey

High in the mountains of Turkey, a mysterious geological formation sits that some researchers believe could be the remains of Noah’s Ark.

According to the Bible, the massive vessel saved humanity and every kind of animal from annihilation during a catastrophic flood more than 4,300 years ago.

Now, a team of American researchers working at the Durupınar Formation near Mount Ararat has uncovered evidence of hidden tunnels as described in the biblical account.

Andrew Jones, an independent researcher with Noah’s Ark Scans, used ground-penetrating radar to uncover a network of ‘corridors’ converging on a hollow central chamber he dubbed the atrium.

Jones linked the discovery to the Bible’s description of the Ark, which states the boat contained three internal levels built to shelter Noah, his family and pairs of animals.

‘God told Noah to bring the animals in. And so these animals would have stayed there, plus Noah and his family,’ Jones told GB News.

‘What’s interesting is that these voids are lining up below the ground – and they’re not just random. These tunnels also follow a pattern. GPR is just a way to look below the soil using radar.’

He added further studies using infrared thermography (IRT), a heat-sensing technology that can uncover hidden structures underground, have also suggested the presence of a ship-shaped hull buried deep in the soil.

Located just 18 miles south of Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest peak, the Durupınar Formation has only been known to the modern world for less than a century.

According to local reports, heavy rains and earthquakes in May 1948 washed away the surrounding mud, revealing the mysterious formation. It was then discovered by a Kurdish shepherd.

The Bible states that Noah’s Ark came to rest on the ‘mountains of Ararat’ after a 150-day flood that drowned the Earth and every living creature not sheltered inside the wooden vessel.

What’s intriguing is that the formation sits near a mountain with a peak that some believe matches the ark’s shape and dimensions.

According to biblical measurements, the ark was ‘300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high,’ roughly 515 feet long, 86 feet wide and 52 feet tall.

The idea that the ark landed on Mount Ararat has long sparked debate.

While many scientists argue that the formation is a naturally occurring geological feature, others are convinced it points to something far more extraordinary.

The team at Noah’s Ark Scans firmly believes the latter.

Jones told GB News that he and his team collected 88 samples from inside and outside of the ship in 2024.

Soil testing in the area showed extremely high levels of potassium, consistent with massive amounts of decomposed lumber.

‘However, due to the extremely cold climate, many parts of the Ark are still intact and petrified. It spends almost six months out of the year completely frozen,’ Noah’s Ark Scans explained in an X post.

In 2024, Jones revealed that he and his team uncovered angular structures as deep as 20 feet beneath the surface, features that could represent rooms below a deck-like platform.

In Genesis 6:14, the Bible describes the ark: ‘Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.’

‘This is not what you’d expect to see if the site were simply a solid block of rock or the result of random mudflow debris,’ Jones told The Christian Broadcasting Network.

‘But it is exactly what you’d expect to find if this were a man-made boat, consistent with the biblical specifications of Noah’s Ark.’

The team has also performed soil testing, uncovering what Jones described as ‘some interesting things.’

‘We noticed that the grass growing within the boat-shaped formation is a different color compared to the area just outside it,’ Jones said, suggesting this could point to a man-made origin rather than a natural one.

William Crabtree, another member of Noah’s Ark Scans, added that a tunnel appears to run from the tip of the formation toward the middle, and it is large enough to walk through.

‘The ultimate goal is not just soil test, which is great, or GPR scans, but to get inside the ship somehow,’ Jones told Patterns of Evidence.

‘Core drilling, getting samples deep inside of it to where we see the substructure, these voids, put a camera in it. This is an opportunity coming up that possibly will allow us to do that next season. 

‘Whatever happens, whenever God opens doors, we will continue working on the site.’