Why people keep looking for Noah’s Ark in a natural rock formation in Turkey: A scholar of early Christianity explains

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(The Conversation) — A team of researchers from Sivas Cumhuriyet University in Turkey is investigating a long-standing claim: that a boat-shaped geological formation in the country’s east contains the remains of Noah’s Ark.

In the biblical Book of Genesis , God decides to destroy the world with a flood. Following God’s instructions, Noah builds an ark – a large wooden vessel – to save himself, his family and animals of every kind.

The formation in question, known as Durupınar, has been associated with Noah’s Ark for nearly 70 years. This new research team has attracted social media attention through a partnership with a separate U.S.-based Christian organization called Noah’s Ark Scans . This group has promoted the Durupınar site as the resting place of Noah’s Ark since at least 2021.

Durupınar is a natural geological formation composed of sedimentary material rich in iron oxides. It is located near the town of Doğubayazıt , just a few miles from the Iranian border.

Official statements from researchers involved in this project say that laboratory analysis is still underway. Researchers…