Overview
- Road construction near the Durupinar Formation uncovered ceramic fragments beside the boat‑shaped feature on Turkey’s Mount Ararat.
- Prof. Faruk Kaya of Agri Ibrahim Cecen University says analyses date the pieces to the Chalcolithic period, roughly 5500–3000 BC.
- The Mount Ararat and Noah’s Ark Research Team, created in 2022 with Istanbul Technical University, has been conducting geophysical and geoarchaeological studies with ITU lab work.
- Researchers contend the dates indicate human activity in the area and are urging formal protection of the site due to souvenir removal and natural erosion risks.
- Outside archaeologists dispute that pottery or the formation’s shape proves a literal Ark, saying the evidence presented to date is not compelling.