DOĞUBAYAZIT, Türkiye and VERO BEACH, Fla., Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mountains of Ararat — Two weekends ago, researchers and officials gathered in eastern Turkey for the Noah’s Ark Symposium, where significant new findings from the 2026 study of the Durupınar Formation were presented. Prof. Dr. Cenker Atila of Sivas Cumhuriyet University, the lead archaeological professor overseeing the officially permitted project, reviewed and confirmed the preliminary results of advanced radar scans conducted by Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar. These results are now recognized as an official new development and finding of the Noah’s Ark 2026 Study.
Dr. Bakhtar explains an anomaly found by BakhtarRadar.
Dr. Bakhtar, a veteran U.S. defense scientist and inventor of the BakhtarRadar system used at the Durupinar site, reported detecting organized patterns, chambers, and corridors inside the roughly 515-foot-long, boat-shaped formation near the Mountains of Ararat. Critically, he stated that the features are not geological. Because the radar was configured to mask natural geological signals, any purely natural rock or soil anomaly would not have appeared in the processed imagery at all.
“This is the most significant finding of 45 years of my career. It’s not geologic related, because we masked all the geologic features,” Dr. Bakhtar said.
For many Americans familiar with the biblical account, the location and shape of the formation have long invited comparison with the vessel described in Genesis. Scripture records that the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8:4). The 2026 work, conducted under Sivas Cumhuriyet University and government authorization, represents the most extensive scientific examination of the site to date, combining radar, mapping, soil sampling, and core drilling. Prof. Dr. Cenker Atila also confirmed at the symposium that whatever lies beneath the surface of the Durupinar site has three “layers”.
“In our Holy Books, Noah’s Ark had three levels, in our radar studies, we also identified a formation with three levels” Dr. Cenker Atila told the media at the Noah’s Ark Symposium last week. – Dr. Cenker Atila told the media at the Noah’s Ark Symposium
Dr. Cenker Atila Speaks to Media at the Noah’s Ark Symposium
In a third major development announced by Prof. Dr. Atila, pieces of charred and burnt wood have been recovered from deep within the formation almost 30 feet down. The wood has been sent for carbon-14 dating and species identification. Researchers emphasize that no firm conclusions should be drawn until the laboratory results are complete and published.
What can be stated is that the material is not recent surface debris, or relocated from another region after being carried with mudflow; The wood was recovered from deep within the formation.
Coredrilling hole at the Durupinar Formation during the Noah’s Ark 2026 project
The charred condition of the wood is of particular interest. Scripture states that Noah was instructed to coat the ark “within and without with pitch” (Genesis 6:14). Natural pitch and tree resins are rich in flammable hydrocarbons they ignite easily. It’s possible that someone tried to set fire to the ark a long time ago, or it’s possible the wood became charred from lightning or volcanic activity in the region, also very long ago. Importantly, charring dramatically slows decomposition in soil, often to rates well under 1% per year.
It’s possible that what was meant to desecrate the ark may have instead been the very thing that preserved it.
Founder of Noah’s Ark Scans and Vice President of the Project Andrew Jones stated: “ It’s very exciting, but people need to understand that yes, it is possible that we have found the charred remains of Noah’s Ark, but it’s also possible that we have found the charred remains of a shepherd’s campfire that he unwittingly decided to start while using the ark for shelter centuries ago” Andrew went on, “ We won’t know the exact age of the wood until carbon-14 and other testing is complete.”
Dr. Atila has indicated that photographs of the recovered charred wood will be released to the public in the near future. The project continues laboratory analysis of hundreds of soil and core samples, with further radar processing and reporting expected in the coming months. The team stresses that the work remains ongoing and that physical dating and material identification are essential next steps.
These developments add concrete, testable data to a site that has drawn interest from scientists, historians, and people of faith for more than six decades. For American Christians and others who take the biblical narrative seriously, the combination of subsurface structure consistent with organized internal features and the recovery of deep, charred wood represents a noteworthy advance in the historic investigation while still awaiting the decisive laboratory results that science requires.
Drone footage of the Durupinar Formation
About Noah’s Ark Scans
Noah’s Ark Scans is partnered with Sivas Cumhuriyet University under the oversight of Archeological Professor Dr. Cenker Atila on the scientific investigation of the Durupınar Formation as a possible candidate for Noah’s Ark. The 2026 program has been conducted under official permits and under Sivas Cumhuriyet University. For updates, visit NoahsArkScans.com.
Media Contact
Info@noahsarkscans.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/30814e65-3b5b-49df-8fe4-77fdfe2b99ce
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bbb972ba-70a4-4d49-a5c8-9f321b6edcce
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/958b7e8d-2a21-4b9f-ae4e-2e59037cc248
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8372b33e-e38e-4fe4-97ac-32c99428f6b0
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da4f3f36-fc94-4c66-811a-9244c494ada0
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aac8f17f-889c-4640-9204-3f4fcf33916a
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2cb04c9f-f8ca-49b5-ad24-93099ae09816
