First look inside ‘real site’ of Noah’s Ark as activists warn ‘Darwinism will be dismantled’

The team claim they have 100% found its resting place

A controversial site in eastern Turkey is making headlines once again, with researchers now drilling beneath a strange mountain formation that a group of researchers claim is 100% the site of Noah’s Ark.

The latest work is part of the Noah’s Ark Scans expedition, which is examining the Durupinar formation in the Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı, near Mount Ararat. 

Interest in the location is nothing new. Experts have debated the unusual formation since it was identified as a possible Ark site in 1956. 

At around 16,500ft, its distinctive shape has led some supporters to argue that it bears an uncanny resemblance to a huge boat.

The investigation itself has been under way since 2021 and involves archaeologists and geologists from several countries. 

The drilling started earlier this week, with the team sending in an underground robot, named Gopher, beneath the formation to investigate areas that cannot easily be reached from the surface.

Gopher the robot. Image: Instagram screenshot.

First look from underneath the site

Now, a first look from the site has been provided by the official Instagram account of Noah's Ark Scans, the team behind the search, as footage from the underground robot was posted to their page.

The video showed Gopher being lowered into a 12-metre hole which the team had drilled, with a camera relaying the footage.

Now, for anyone hoping to see a big old boat under the ground, you might be disappointed to find out that all the camera showed was what you can imagine you'd see when you lower a camera into a hole - dirt.

An ant scuttles around at the bottom of the bore hole. Image: Instagram screenshot.

However, this is just a first run, with further digging and investigations to come at the site.

While the project continues to make headlines, it's also starting to attract a few famous faces too, with famous survivalist, and outspoken Christian, Bear Grylls attending the site, as seen in another video.

No established evidence currently proves the Turkish site is Noah’s Ark

Lauren Witzke, a Christian activist and former US Senate candidate who has described herself as a “flat-earther” and previously called Covid vaccines a “Satanic plot”, is involved in the project as its marketing and fundraising director. 

In an update on Tuesday, Witzke celebrated the start of core drilling, writing: “Good morning from the outer rims of Noah's ark.”

She also claimed that the expedition has been approved and is being overseen by local universities, with “some of the most brilliant minds in the world” working on it.

Witzke has made much bigger claims about what the investigation could ultimately prove, stating: “When we are done, university curricula will need to be rewritten, and Darwinism will be dismantled. This is the place where creation began anew.”

While the project has attracted optimism from those involved, the scientific community has long questioned whether the Durupinar formation has any connection to the Ark described in Genesis, and there is currently no established evidence proving that it does.