In late August 2026, in eastern Turkey's Ağrı Province, about 30 kilometers south of the summit of Mount Ararat, an event long awaited for decades took place. The Noah's Ark Scans team, led by Andrew Jones, for the first time activated a drilling rig on the famous Durupinar formation—an elongated hill about 157 meters long that, from a bird's-eye view, strikingly resembles the outline of a large ship.
This formation has been known since the late 1940s. After heavy rains and earthquakes, its contours emerged from mud and stones. Turkish officer İlhan Durupınar captured it in aerial photographs in 1959, and since then, the site has captivated both researchers and pilgrims. Its dimensions are remarkably close to those specified in the Book of Genesis: about three hundred cubits. Local traditions link the surroundings to the place where, according to legend, the ark came to rest.
Years passed, but questions remained. Many experts considered the hill a mere geological formation—the result of natural processes. Others saw in it a possible trace of an ancient structure. Until recently, debates relied mainly on appearance and surface observations.
In 2026, the approach changed. The team obtained official permits from Turkish authorities and began a comprehensive program. First, detailed mapping with drones equipped with LiDAR. Then ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography, and the specialized BakhtarRadar system employed by Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar, a scientist with years of experience in defense projects. The scans revealed subsurface anomalies: stratification, linear structures, zones lacking clear homogeneous rock mass. Soil samples from within the formation showed elevated organic content compared to surrounding areas.
Months of preparatory work—radar surveys, electrical resistivity studies, collection of hundreds of soil samples—led to the next stage. In the final days of August, the drill finally started. "After months of scanning, ERT surveys, mapping, and sampling, the team took the next big step: drilling," the researchers reported. "It has been a long journey, and watching the drill turn for the first time was a special moment. Now we will see what comes to the surface."
The drilling is planned to be non-destructive—using technology that allows extraction of continuous cores and possibly laying narrow channels for a special underground drone. The goal is to obtain direct physical data about what lies hidden beneath layers of earth and stone. Results are not yet known. But the very fact that the research has moved from remote methods to direct penetration into the depths is already changing the nature of the search.
The Durupinar formation remains an enigma. Official data and preliminary geophysical observations do not provide a definitive answer. They only show that beneath the surface lies something requiring careful study. What exactly will be extracted from the first boreholes will be revealed in the near future. Meanwhile, work continues on the slopes of Ararat, connecting modern science with one of humanity's oldest and most intriguing stories.
