A remarkable 16th-century map has resurfaced as researchers pursue a controversial new lead in the centuries-old search for Noah’s Ark.
Drawn in 1587 by Italian aristocrat and mapmaker Urbano Monte, the enormous work spans almost 10 feet once assembled. Its detailed artwork includes continents, unfamiliar territories, ships and a menagerie of mythical creatures.
Among its many unusual details is a tiny illustration of Noah’s Ark resting on the mountains of Ararat in present-day Turkey—the same broader region where modern investigators are looking for possible evidence of the biblical vessel.
The image has attracted fresh attention online because its placement appears to correspond with the Durupınar Formation, a boat-shaped geological feature currently being studied by an international research team.
Independent researcher Jimmy Corsetti highlighted the apparent similarity in an online post, writing: “The same location as the Durupınar site, virtually the exact same length. Coincidence?”
Researchers working at the Durupınar Formation have made the striking claim that their findings have “100 percent confirmed” the mound is not a natural formation, describing it instead as a “man-made object.” Those conclusions remain part of an ongoing and disputed investigation.
Andrew Jones, founder of Noah’s Ark Scans, said preliminary radar readings do not indicate “a simple homogeneous solid-rock signature,” suggesting the structure may contain more complex layers.
The team has collected material from depths approaching 60 feet. “We have so far recovered layers of rich organic material that we believe could be the decayed top-tier remains of the Ark,” Jones said.
A small drawing within the map shows Noah’s Ark resting on the mountains of Ararat in modern-day Turkey, the region long associated with the search for the legendary vessel
Urbano Monte produced the vast map in 1587. When its sections are joined, it measures nearly 10 feet across and reveals elaborate scenes of distant lands, mythical beasts and unexplored territories
Monte created the map during the Age of Exploration, a period when European knowledge of the world was rapidly changing after voyages to the Americas and Asia.
Rather than using the more familiar east- or west-centered layout, Monte presented the world from above the North Pole, with the Arctic positioned at the center.
The unusual design is made up of 60 individually hand-drawn sheets, which together form a giant circular world map measuring close to 10 feet in diameter.
Across the map, illustrations of sailing vessels, sea monsters and fantastical animals sit alongside descriptions of faraway regions, peoples and cultures.
Historians believe Monte may have been influenced by the arrival of a Japanese delegation in Milan in 1585, an event that offered Europeans a new perspective on the wider world. The original manuscript is preserved at Stanford University’s David Rumsey Map Center, which digitally restored the work and published it online.
The Ark illustration is especially intriguing to modern observers because it places the biblical vessel on Ararat centuries before contemporary expeditions began examining the area for physical evidence.
According to the Bible, Noah’s Ark came to rest on the “mountains of Ararat” after floodwaters covered the Earth for 150 days, leaving Noah, his family and the animals aboard the wooden ship as survivors.
For generations, the possibility that the Ark landed somewhere in Turkey’s mountainous east has fueled debate among historians, explorers, religious scholars and archaeologists.
The Durupınar Formation lies about 18 miles south of Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest peak, and only came to public attention within the past century
Radar scans detected “a series of right angles” roughly 20 feet below the surface—features researchers suggest may represent interior spaces once used to house animals aboard the Ark
While many scientists argue the formation is a naturally occurring geological feature, others are convinced it points to something far more extraordinary.
The team at Noah’s Ark Scans firmly believes the latter.
‘For decades, skeptics have had one simple answer for the boat-shaped Durupınar Formation: it is just a solid lump of natural rock,’ Noah’s Ark Scans said on Wednesday.
‘The mission was direct: put the “solid rock” explanation to the test. Is the formation a single homogeneous mass of natural stone? Does it contain internal structures?
‘Where does the true bedrock lie beneath it, and how does that bedrock continue across the surrounding valley?’
The team shared online that radar scans found three layers beneath the formation’s surface, claiming they feature chambers, corridors, organized patterns, and tunnels.
Lauren Witzke, head of marketing and fundraising for Noah’s Ark Scans, said on X: ‘Scientists confirm the formation is 100 percent not geological. They say, and I quote, that it is a “man-made object.”‘
Tests conducted by Noah’s Ark Scans have also found higher carbon levels inside the formation than in matching soil collected just a few yards away on the same hillside.
The researchers added further studies using infrared thermography (IRT), a heat-sensing technology that can uncover hidden structures underground, have also suggested the presence of a ship-shaped hull buried deep in the soil
Researchers said the difference could point to a concentration of organic material, potentially the remains of ancient wood, although no timber has been recovered.
Lead archaeologist Dr Cenker Atila said: ‘The amount of carbon coming from the interior of the ship is 40 percent higher than what was found outside.’
‘This raises the idea that there may be organic material or remains of wood.’
The findings remain unverified while the collected samples undergo laboratory testing. The team expects to publish a fuller analysis in the coming weeks.
