Researchers Find Burned Wood Near Mount Ararat at Noah's Ark Site
Researchers in eastern Turkey found burned wood near Mount Ararat at a site investigated as Noah's Ark, though laboratory tests are still pending.
A team of researchers exploring a site in eastern Turkey near Mount Ararat has reported discovering burned wood remnants nearly nine meters underground at the Durupinar site, which is being investigated as a possible resting place for Noah's Ark. However, the samples are still undergoing laboratory testing, and the findings do not constitute proof of the biblical vessel.
According to an announcement by the Noah's Ark Scans team, the wood was discovered during drilling operations inside a ship-shaped geological formation. The samples have been sent for carbon-14 dating and species identification. The research is led by Prof. Fikret Atilla of Sivas Cumhuriyet University in Turkey.
Andrew Jones, the team's founder and deputy project director, noted that alongside the possibility of the ark, another explanation exists: the burned wood could be the remnants of a campfire lit by a shepherd centuries ago. He emphasized that the age of the wood cannot be determined prior to the completion of the tests.
The site is located approximately 29 kilometers south of Mount Ararat and has attracted attention since it was identified in aerial photographs in 1959. Its elongated shape and proximity to the biblical region have drawn decades of researchers searching for evidence of the ark.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Jones stated that the drilling yielded both burned and unburned wood fragments. The team also reported ground-penetrating radar scans indicating subterranean voids resembling rooms and corridors, though experts urge caution regarding these interpretations.
