An underwater city discovered in Lake Van, eastern Turkey, may prompt a re-evaluation of the biblical story of Noah’s Ark. The ruins lie 85 feet beneath the lake’s surface, near Gevaş, about 150 miles from Mount Ararat, where the Ark is traditionally believed to have landed after the Great Flood.
First found in 1997 by Turkish underwater filmmaker Tahsin Ceylan, the site has remained largely unexplored until recently. Archaeologist Matthew LaCroix, who has studied the ruins, says the discovery is one of the most significant in history but has been overlooked due to a lack of proper understanding.
The half-mile-long city includes a stone fortress and circular temples featuring a six-spoked ‘Flower of Life’ symbol, also seen in ruins in Peru and Bolivia. LaCroix argues that the advanced stonework suggests a civilisation more than 6,000 years old, predating known technological capabilities.
Research indicates that an eruption of Mount Nemrut, a volcano in central Turkey, blocked the Mirat River, causing massive flooding during the Younger Dryas period (12,900–11,700 years ago). This event may have inspired early flood narratives, including the story of Noah, which appears in various ancient texts with different names for the survivor, such as Ziusudra or Utnapishtim.
LaCroix hopes that Ceylan will finally receive recognition for his discovery, which could rewrite the history of the region and the biblical account.
