Claim Disputed What does “Disputed” mean?

Boat-shaped formation near Doğubayazıt spotted in aerial imagery

1959 · by İlhan Durupınar

Turkish army captain İlhan Durupınar identified a boat-shaped formation south of Ararat in Turkish Air Force survey photos, prompting speculation it was the Ark.

The boat-shaped Durupınar ridge in 2009 (site photo, not the 1959 aerial image) — Site photo, not of this event. Zorka Sojka / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

What is claimed

The formation's size and boat-like shape (about 164 m long) suggest it could be the petrified remains of the Ark.

What is established

A 1960 survey found only soil and rock; geologists including Collins, Snelling, Avcı and Atabey describe it as a natural formation.

Details

Sources differ on the date: Wikipedia says October 1959; 2023 press reports give 11 September 1959. Recorded at year precision.

Claimant: İlhan Durupınar
Site: Durupınar formation

Sources (3)

Durupınar site (opens in a new tab)
Wikipedia · published 26 Jun 2005
Searches for Noah's Ark (opens in a new tab)
Wikipedia · published 15 Jun 2005
Scientists examined the remains believed to belong to Noah's Ark, and here are the results (opens in a new tab)
Anatolian Archaeology · published 26 Oct 2023

Referenced by

Added 21 Oct 2026 · Permalink /e/1959-durupinar-aerial-identification/ · Back to timeline