This past summer, researchers took a closer look at Durupınar, a strange, boat-shaped formation in Turkey’s Ararat Mountains.

Some have argued, based on Genesis 8:4, that this is the site where Noah’s ark came to rest.

Aside from its unique boat-like shape, the formation is 515 feet long and 86 feet wide. These measurements roughly fits the Biblical dimensions of the ark recorded in Genesis. Researchers have also found pottery around site, though none has been found so far inside it. The pottery has been ‘tentatively’ dated to the time of the flood.

The formation was first identified in 1959. Although some have hailed it as a potential landing site of Noah’s ark, skeptics—including some Christians—have argued that it is nothing more than a natural geological formation.

Researchers backed by Sivas University were given permission to take core samples to determine the soil composition inside the formation.

Dirt samples taken in 2024 revealed significantly more organic material inside the site, than outside. Researchers say this is what might be expected if the formation is based on a man-made object.

This year’s research team, led by Andrew Jones, took over 300 core samples, some from depths of 60 feet or 20 meters deep. Jones leads Noah’s Ark Scans, the organization researching the site.

While taking the samples the researchers did not find limestone or rock bedrock inside the formation. This is not what would be expected if it was simply a natural rock formation as some have claimed.

“They’ve criticized in the past, saying all those scans you can interpret different ways, ‘This is a solid mass of rock, a syncline or a block of bedrock,’” said Jones in an interview with Saturday in America. “Well, we’ve core drilled… over 12 locations. We did not find bedrock at all.”

The core samples have been sent to a laboratory, and the team expects to receive the results this winter. The results should help determine if there is evidence of human activity within the formation.

In addition to the core samples, underground scans taken earlier this year revealed possible indicators of hallways and rooms. Noah’s Ark Scans released a preliminary report on the scans on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

According to the Daily Mail, researchers used a BakhtarRadar to conduct the scans. It was developed by Dr Khosrow Bakhtar to look for underground structures such as tunnels or caves. For several decades, Bakhtar worked for the US Navy developing detection systems.

The scans revealed what appeared to be an organized structure beneath the surface—something the researchers say would not be expected in a random geological formation.

“What I can say from the radar is that it is organized, it is structural, and a solid geological mass would not have returned such a strong signature,” said Dr. Bakhtar in an interview with the Daily Mail.

Bakhtar added that, in the 40 years he had worked in this field, he had never seen anything like it.

Despite the growing evidence, Jones remains cautious. He said more work needs to be done and warned against jumping to conclusions.

“I have friends who are atheists or agnostic, and they think that I’m looking for Santa’s house or something,” Jones said in an interview with Fox News.