Researchers Claim Radar Detects Corridors Beneath Possible Noah’s Ark Site
An international research team investigating the boat-shaped Durupınar formation near Mount Ararat says it has made an extraordinary discovery beneath the site.
The group, Noah’s Ark Scans, released a preliminary report on its work with Sivas Cumhuriyet University. Researchers say radar scans detected an organized structure beneath the mound—one that appears to contain corridors, chambers, and hallways rather than being a natural rock formation.
That claim is significant because some Christians believe Durupınar could be the final resting place of Noah’s Ark. The formation was first spotted in 1959 by Turkish Army Capt. İlhan Durupınar. It measures about 157 meters, or 515 feet, and has a shape that has fueled interest for decades.
The research group also says permitted core drilling has begun both inside and outside the outline of the formation. According to the group, this is the first deep, dry, permitted core program in the site’s recorded history.
One hole drilled inside the area that would represent the vessel’s hull reportedly stopped when the drill bit broke against a layer harder than limestone. The researchers noted that petrified wood is typically harder than limestone, though the drilling result is only one part of the ongoing investigation.
The radar work was conducted by Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar, an engineer who spent decades building detection systems for U.S. defense agencies, including the Air Force, Navy, and NORAD. In a statement to The Daily Mail, Bakhtar said the signal was unlike anything he had encountered in his career.
“Whatever the object is beneath the surface is extraordinary,” he said.
“In forty years of this work, I have never seen anything like it.”
“It could be a ship. It could be a spaceship,” he continued.
“What I can say from the radar is that it is organized, it is structural, and a solid geological mass would not have returned such a strong signature.”
Bakhtar also addressed the apparent layout detected beneath the surface. He said the radar system was designed to distinguish buried structures from the geology surrounding them.
“Natural ground does not organize itself into corridors, chambers, and hallways,” Dr. Bakhtar explained to The Daily Mail.
“The system was built to separate buried structure from host geology, tunnels, voids, worked materials, discontinuities,” he added.
“That is what it is seeing here. A solid geological mass would not have returned this signature.”
The findings have renewed attention on the possibility that the Durupınar formation could be connected to the biblical account of Noah’s Ark. The report does not present the investigation as finished, however. The radar results are preliminary, and more work is planned.
The Daily Mail reports that the full radar scan is expected to be completed by November 2026, with additional laboratory results to follow. According to the report, the next step will include testing for animal DNA inside the structure.
For now, the team’s report offers a striking claim beneath a site that has drawn interest for generations. Whether the structure is a ship, another man-made formation, or something else will depend on the remaining scans, drilling, and laboratory testing.