Ancient Map Said to Pinpoint the Real-Life Resting Place of Noah’s Ark

A renewed wave of fascination with Noah’s Ark has emerged after researchers pointed to a 16th-century world map that appears to depict the biblical vessel resting in the mountains of eastern Turkey. The 1587 map, known as the Planisphere and crafted by Italian cartographer Urbano Monte, is now housed at Stanford University’s David Rumsey Map Center. Investigators studying the illustration believe it may correspond with the Durupinar formation near Mount Ararat, a boat-shaped geological site long tied to theories about the ark.

Monte’s Planisphere is among the largest known early world maps, composed of 60 hand-drawn sheets that together form a circular image nearly 10 feet wide. The map places a depiction of Noah’s Ark in the very region where modern researchers continue their search, drawing the attention of independent investigators who noted the striking resemblance to the present-day Durupinar site. First identified in 1959, the formation has remained at the center of debate for decades because of its unusual ship-like shape and dimensions.

In recent years, researchers associated with the Noah’s Ark Scans project have conducted ground-penetrating radar scans and soil analyses at the site, reporting underground voids, corridor-like formations, and a central cavity beneath the surface. They also documented elevated levels of organic matter and potassium in soil samples, along with marine fossils and shell-like materials that have fueled speculation about catastrophic flooding in the area. The work calls to mind Genesis 8:4, which records that the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat after the floodwaters receded.

(NYP/VFI News)

 “Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.” – Genesis 8:4