The 2026 field season at the Durupınar Formation near Mount Ararat just wrapped up, and two rounds of results are now working their way through the pipeline on different timelines.
The short answer
According to Daily Sabah, the ground-penetrating radar results are expected within about 10 days, while results from the roughly 1,000 soil samples collected across 150 locations are expected in roughly three months.
📅 Timeline as currently reported:
- Radar results — within about 10 days (per Daily Sabah)
- Soil sample results — roughly three months (per Daily Sabah)
- Core samples — sent to labs in Ankara for analysis; no separate timeline given for those results
- First comprehensive scientific findings — expected in 2027, according to Arkeonews
Why there are two different timelines
The radar work refers to the ground-penetrating radar survey conducted in August, which had already detected possible voids and right-angle anomalies beneath the boat-shaped formation — that data is further along in processing, hence the shorter turnaround. The soil samples, by contrast, were collected during the just-concluded 90-day field season and still need lab processing, which takes longer.
Separately, the team also drilled core samples up to 18 meters deep and sent those to Ankara. The context available doesn’t specify a release date for that analysis, so it isn’t included in the near-term timeline above.
What to watch for
Prof. Dr. Cenker Atila has said further fieldwork is planned for the next two years, and Arkeonews reports the project’s first full set of scientific conclusions won’t arrive until 2027. So the radar and soil results expected in the coming weeks and months are early data points, not the final word on the site.
Since these are estimates given at the close of the field season, it’s worth checking Daily Sabah or Arkeonews directly closer to those windows for any updated dates.
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