Durupinar site
(Photo by via Wikipedia)COGwriter
A reader sent me a link to the following:
Noah’s Ark mystery deepens as ancient map points to resting place of biblical vessel
27 May 2026
The largest known early world map may have pointed to the resting place of Noah’s Ark for nearly 440 years.
Created in 1587 by Italian nobleman and cartographer Urbano Monte, the massive Planisphere stretches nearly 10 feet wide when fully assembled and is packed with elaborate illustrations of continents, mythical creatures and unexplored lands.
Hidden within the map is a small depiction of Noah’s Ark resting on the mountains of Ararat in modern-day Turkey, the same region many believe still hides the legendary vessel.
The striking detail has sparked fascination because the Bible states in Genesis 8:4 that the Ark came to rest on the ‘mountains of Ararat’ after the Great Flood.
Some online viewers were stunned by how closely the illustration appears to align with the mysterious Durupınar site.
Independent researcher Jimmy Corsetti wrote online: ‘The same location as the Durupinar site, virtually the exact same length. Coincidence?’ …
Monte created the map during the height of the Age of Exploration, when European cartographers were rapidly redrawing the known world following voyages to the Americas and Asia. …
The enormous map consists of 60 separate hand-drawn sheets that can be assembled into a single circular image measuring nearly 10 feet across. …
The depiction has drawn attention because it places Noah’s Ark on the mountains of Ararat centuries before modern researchers began searching the region for evidence of the biblical vessel.
The Bible recounts Noah’s Ark resting on the ‘mountains of Ararat’ after a 150-day flood submerged the Earth, sparing only those aboard the wooden vessel. …
Archaeologist and amateur researcher Ron Wyatt first visited the Durupınar site in eastern Turkey in 1977, claiming the boat-shaped geological formation was the remains of Noah’s Ark. …
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. https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-15852247/noahs-ark-map-ararat-turkey.html
Here is a picture of Urbano Monte,’s map:
(By Urbano Monti (died 1613) – https://exhibits.stanford.edu/nhdmaps/catalog/tp840sm1056, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143249443)
After I downloaded the above map from Wikipedia, I uploaded it to Adobe Photoshop to find the Ark drawing. Here is what I found and extracted:
Essentially the brownish drawing in the center resembles some type of ark.
Basically, it would seem that Urbano Monti guessed where the Ark might be based on the description in Bible which states:
1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. (Genesis 8:1-5)
While it is possible that the Ark ended up at the Durupınar site, many are not convinced:
What the Tunnels Beneath Mount Ararat Reveal — and What They Don’t
April 22, 2026
A boat-shaped geological formation in eastern Turkey is making headlines again, and for many Christians the very idea sends a familiar current of hope through the soul. Researchers from the California-based group Noah’s Ark Scans claim that ground-penetrating radar surveys of the Durupınar Formation — a 157-meter-long mound located about 18 miles south of Mount Ararat — have revealed what appear to be interior corridors, angular subterranean structures, and a central tunnel large enough, they say, to walk through. The secular press, predictably, oscillates between breathless wonder and performative skepticism. Neither reaction quite serves the truth.
The story is not new — which is itself worth noting. The Durupınar site was first spotted from the air in September 1959 by Turkish Army Captain İlhan Durupınar during a post-earthquake aerial survey. Amateur archaeologist and Bible believer Ron Wyatt spent the better part of two decades promoting it through the 1980s and ‘90s before his death in 1999.
What is new is the scope and sophistication of the technology now being brought to bear on the site, and, perhaps more significantly, the announcement that a formal excavation — the first ever sanctioned at this location — is being planned in partnership with Turkish universities including Istanbul Technical University and Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University. …
Some of the most pointed criticism of the Durupınar site comes from within the creation science community itself. Geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling of Answers in Genesis, who has studied the site for decades, raises two significant objections.
The first is geological: the Durupınar formation sits in a valley roughly 3,280 feet deep on the southern slopes of Mount Ararat — a volcano that last erupted as recently as 1840. The second is scriptural: Genesis 8:4 places the ark’s resting point high enough that it would take another 74 days after grounding before the tops of the surrounding mountains became visible. A valley floor does not fit that description. Snelling notes that geophysical surveys — whether GPR, LiDAR, or resistivity imaging — always require interpretation, and that interpretation inevitably reflects the assumptions of the interpreter. …
Professor Faruk Kaya of Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, commenting on ceramic fragments found near the site during recent road construction, agreed that while the pottery indicates human activity in the area between roughly 3000 and 5500 BC, it does not constitute archaeological proof of anything more.
“In the studies carried out so far,” Kaya said, “no satisfactory information or evidence has been reached.”
None of this settles the question — and that is precisely the point. The answer to “Has Noah’s Ark been found?” remains, for the moment, no. What has been found is a genuinely remarkable site that warrants serious, methodical, and fully transparent scientific investigation. https://www.blessed.report/p/what-the-tunnels-beneath-mount-ararat
So, there are concerns that this may not be the actual location. But it is possible that seismic activity or weather incidents could have possibly moved the Ark from its original resting place. Let me also mention the following scripture:
25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; (Genesis 10:25)
It may be that the division included continental separations and/or changing the topography of the Ark location.
Whether or not this is Noah’s Ark is still unclear.
I have long felt that the day may come when Noah’s ark is conclusively found.
Yet, there are at least two risks associated with that. One would be that it later would be supposedly proven to be false—which would emboldened biblical skeptics.
But the other is because both biblical (e.g. Revelation 13:4,8) and non-biblical prophecy warn of a time when an ecumenical religion will take over much of the world, if Noah’s Ark is ever conclusively accepted, this could represent part of a major turning point in getting more of humanity to accept a coming world religion that claims to be Christian. Since many cultures have a tale of the flood (see 300 Versions of the Flood), this will make the coming ecumenical religion acceptable even to certain cultures that do not normally refer to the Bible for their beliefs.
Jesus warned that the end times would be like the time PRIOR to the flood of Noah’s time:
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:36-44)
Many will not understand end time prophecies and not pay sufficient attention (see also Is there a need for a prophet now?).
We know the great flood happened. There is evidence in many cultures, plus, there is scientific evidence that there was enough water on the Earth for it to happen (see also Water, Noah’s Flood, and Chinese Characters).
Perhaps Noah’s Ark will be conclusively found. But if it is, its finding may be used by the forces of Satan to put forth his end time agenda. In this age, its discovery would not truly turn people to the God of the Bible.
We also have the following related video:
14:28Risks of Finding Noah’s Ark?
A boat-shaped geological formation in eastern Turkey is making headlines again. It is referred to as the Durupınar Formation — a 157-meter-long mound located about 18 miles south of Mount Ararat. Researchers from the California-based group Noah’s Ark Scans claim that ground-penetrating radar surveys of the Durupınar Formation have revealed what appear to be interior corridors, angular subterranean structures, and a central tunnel large enough, they say, to walk through. Some archaeologists suggest that the age is consistent with Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood (which happened about 4350 years ago). Could a valley location be consistent with the account in Genesis? What about the dividing of the earth in the time of Peleg? For some Protestants the very idea sends a familiar current of hope that this will lead many to convert to Christianity. But is that the case? Are there any risks? Did Jesus warn that the last days would be like the days of Noah? If so, what precisely did Jesus warn would be the case? What are two risks associated with concluding that Noah’s Ark truly has been found? Might it be a turning point of sorts for the ecumenical interfaith power that the Bible warns against to rise up? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel address these matters in this video.
Here is a link to our video: Risks of Finding Noah’s Ark?
Here are links to some items of possibly related interest:
Timelines and Early Church History This has dates and some timelines when biblical and non-biblical events took place.
CG7-Salem, Dinosaurs, and the Gap Doctrine Were there dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark?
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Gap Theory? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Were the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long? Here are links to two sermons: Gap Theory: Doctrine or Modern Heresy? and Genesis, ‘Prehistoric man,’ and the Gap theory. Here is a link to a related article in Spanish: ¿Cuán vieja es la Tierra? ¿Cuán largos fueron los Días de la Creación? ¿Teoría de la brecha? Here is a link to a video in Spanish: La edad de la Tierra, la Biblia y Teoría de la Brecha.
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Gap Theory? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Were the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long? Here are links to two sermons: Gap Theory: Doctrine or Modern Heresy? and Genesis, ‘Prehistoric man,’ and the Gap theory. Here is a link to a related article in Spanish: ¿Cuán vieja es la Tierra? ¿Cuán largos fueron los Días de la Creación? ¿Teoría de la brecha? Here is a link to a video in Spanish: La edad de la Tierra, la Biblia y Teoría de la Brecha.