Noah's Ark resting place '100% confirmed' after 4,300 years as astonishing 'man-made' structure is detected buried deep underground 

Deep in the murky waters of an ancient lake in Turkey lie mysterious ruins that researchers believe could be part of a forgotten city, rewriting human history. 

Divers have uncovered an enormous circular structure and a wall of interlocking stone blocks 75 feet below the surface of Lake Van.

Researcher Matthew LaCroix, who is part of the diving team, told the Daily Mail: ‘What we know of the underwater ruins may just be a tiny piece of something much larger.'

LaCroix believes the ruins are at least 11,700 years old and could date back as far as 40,000 years, based on geological estimates for the eruptions of near by  he said blocked the lake’s ancient outlet and submerged the structures.

The wall features three steps leading to the circular structure and seven levels of stonework rising more than eight feet from the lakebed. ‘I measured over 150 feet that this causeway continues,’ LaCroix said. ‘Over 150 feet, and it leads into the darkness.’

He believes the feature may lead to more buildings belonging to an undiscovered city concealed beneath the water. 

'You have a civilization that had the capabilities to build unbelievable stonework and temples,' LaCroix added. 'This shows that this lost chapter of human history not only created highly advanced things that are far beyond the capabilities of iron and bronze cultures of our time, but that the dating of it puts it in a time.'

Adding to the mystery, Lake Van lies southwest of Mount Ararat and the Durupınar formation, which some believe marks the final resting place of Noah’s Ark.

Divers have uncovered a wall of interlocking stone blocks 75 feet below the surface of Lake Van

The massive wall connects to the enormous circular structure (above)

Lake Van is located in the far eastern part of Turkey within the Eastern Anatolia region, close to the border with Iran. It sits roughly 90 miles from Mount Ararat, which some believe is the final resting place of Noah's Ark.

The surface area of the lake is about 1,450 square miles, making it the largest in the country. 

Turkish underwater filmmaker Tahsin Ceylan discovered the first ruins in 2017, while studying Lake Van's microbiolite formations and pearl mullet.

He stumbled upon a stone fortress flanked by circular temples with precisely carved masonry.

There was also a capstone engraved with a six-spoked 'Flower of Life' symbol, a motif used by numerous cultures for thousands of years.

Salin later teamed up with LaCroix for a dive in 2025, but it was not until the footage was reviewed this year that the massive stone wall was spotted.

While archaeologists confirm the structures exist, many attribute them to the Urartian period around 3,000 years ago, or even to the medieval era. 

But they have admitted that the site has yet to be fully studied or definitively dated.

Researcher Matthew LaCroix, who is part of the diving team, told the Daily Mail: ‘What we know of the underwater ruins may just be a tiny piece of something much larger'

Lake Van is located in the far eastern part of Turkey within the Eastern Anatolia region, close to the border with Iran

LaCroix, however, said the geological evidence told a different story. 

Scientists have long known that Lake Van once drained westward through an outlet that was later blocked by a series of massive eruptions from Mount Nemrut during the Pleistocene.

LaCroix, who discussed the Lake Van discoveries on his podcast,  explained that the Pleistocene ended 11,700 years ago, but experts have suggested that the major eruptions may have occurred as far back as 40,000 years.

'That means the ruins were built before,' he added.

Exploring the site is difficult because Lake Van has no outlet, leaving dissolved sediment suspended throughout the water and sharply limiting visibility.

The wall features three steps leading to the circular structure and seven levels of stonework rising more than eight feet from the lakebed

LaCroix said divers can generally see clearly only between approximately 5am and 11am before conditions deteriorate.

‘You only have a tiny window to even explore,’ he said.

He also clarified that he did not descend to the wall 75 feet below the surface. 

Instead, he spent only eight minutes at the circular ruin in approximately 30 feet of water while other divers recorded the surrounding stonework.

‘It’s a perfect circle,’ LaCroix said. ‘When you dive down from above, it’s a perfect circle.’

The two formations are separated by a considerable distance but lie within an underwater area that LaCroix said has been mapped across approximately one square kilometer.

Scientists have long known that the lake once had an outlet and was much smaller than it is today. This has led some researchers to suggest that the ancient civilization built a stunning city overlooking the lake

The diving team has also found fortress-like ruins on the lakebed

The causeway was not noticed during the dive. LaCroix said it emerged months later, after videographer Brandon Barnes uploaded footage taken behind the circular structure.

‘I’m like, oh my God, because they found something,’ he recalled.

The video appeared to show three steps rising toward the circular monument, followed by seven courses of stonework and the lengthy structure extending away from it.

LaCroix argued that the amount of labor involved makes it unlikely that the feature was constructed in isolation.

‘It can’t just go to nothing,’ he said. ‘There would have to be a major urban area that this was a nodal point that it went to.’

He added: ‘I have never been able to see it. It leads somewhere. We just don’t know where it leads.’

However, no stone from the ruins has been independently dated, and no archaeological excavation has established that the structures form a city.

The proposed age of between 11,700 and 40,000 years is LaCroix’s interpretation of geological research into the volcanic eruptions and changing boundaries of Lake Van, rather than a direct date obtained from the masonry.

LaCroix believes the causeway (above) leads to a massive city that was destroyed in a flood tens of thousands of years ago

Other researchers have suggested that at least some of the walls may be medieval, possibly incorporating older blocks produced by the Urartians, who controlled the region approximately 3,000 years ago.

LaCroix nevertheless believes the still water may have protected whatever remains below, preserving structures that would have been damaged by currents elsewhere.

‘It’s like it’s just sitting there, preserved, like waiting for humanity to discover it,’ he said.

Further dives, detailed sonar mapping and analysis by underwater archaeologists would be needed to determine whether the causeway is human-made, establish where it leads and reveal whether more structures remain hidden in the darkness.