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A short drive from Doğubayazıt in Eastern Anatolia is one of the purported landing sites of Noah’s Ark, also known as the Durupınar Site.
History of the Durupınar Site
Just 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the Iranian border, a Kurdish shepherd named Reshit Sarıhan made an interesting discovery. On May 19, 1948, heavy rains and a series of three earthquakes exposed a boat-shaped formation. It wasn’t until October 1959 when Turkish Army Captain İlhan Durupınar took an aerial photo on a NATO mapping mission that it could possibly be the landing site of Noah’s Ark.
The site was surveyed in September 1960 by Dr. Arthur Brandenberger of Ohio State University. He concluded it was a freak geological formation caused by clay pushed upwards through a lava field. No artifacts or petrified wood were discovered.
Wyatt Expedition
The Durupınar Site was forgotten until 1977, when amateur archaeologist and explorer Ron Wyatt (1933-1999) began to take an interest. Throughout the 1980s, Wyatt constantly tried to interest professionals and religious experts in the site. Finally, in 1985, salvage expert David Fasold (1939-1998) and geophysicist John Baumgardner teamed up with Wyatt for an expedition.
They measured the formation and found the length to be close to the 300 cubits mentioned in the Bible. They also claimed to have found anchor stones in a nearby village they believed were attached to the Ark. After the expedition, they reported that the formation was indeed the petrified remains of the Biblical ship.
The trio’s claims were quickly refuted due to the lack of scientific principles employed during the expedition. In April 1997, Fasold even reversed his claim under oath in Australia.
This didn’t stop the Turkish government from continuing to survey the site using ground-penetrating radar. Studies in 2014 and 2019 concluded the rock was made of limonite stones forming several right angles. Furthermore, 3D imaging by John Larsen of New Zealand in 2014 revealed a peculiar formation underground shaped like the hull of a ship, leaving more questions than answers.
Could This Be Noah’s Ark?
Although the claims made by Wyatt and his team have been debunked by geologists and other scientists, that doesn’t stop religious tourists and other curious travelers from visiting the Durupınar Site. There are still several people who strongly believe it’s the true resting place of Noah’s Ark.
I’m not going to go into depth and draw things out here – there are plenty of other websites arguing for and against Durupınar. I’ll simply mention the two most important facts that stand out to me:
First of all, in Genesis 8:4, it’s written that the Ark came to rest in the “mountains of Ararat”, not Mount Ararat itself. However, Ararat was a the Biblical Hebrew historical name for the Kingdom of Urartu, which covered a large swathe of Eastern Anatolia and modern-day Armenia. The name Ararat wasn’t associated with the mountain until the 11th century. Therefore, the true landing spot could be anywhere in Urartu and not necessarily in the vicinity of Mount Ararat.
Secondly, although the dimensions nearly match the Biblical measurements, and the shape of the formation may be convincing, no traces of petrified wood or reed fragments have ever been discovered at the Durupınar Site during scientific expeditions. Wyatt, however, claims to have found wood, metal rods, rivets, and washers containing several types of metal including aluminum, which is rarely found in a natural state.
Is this the “true landing site” of Noah’s Ark or a hoax intended to drive personal fame and tourism dollars? I’ll leave that up to you. That’s why it’s called “faith”, after all.
Visiting “Noah’s Ark”
If you decide to travel to the Durupınar Site (Nuh’un Gemisi), you’ll be greeted by a friendly attendant at the visitor center. There are photos inside of İlhan Durupınar and some information about the discovery. Outside the visitor center you can view the formation, but unfortunately it’s not possible to get up close to it. To get to the site, you’ll need your own transportation. Admission is 50₺ per person (as of July 2024).
