GERMS AGAIN ON MOUNT AĞRI
In July 2026, the Turkish-German research team worked for two weeks at the summit of Mount Ararat, which exceeds 5 thousand meters. The team led by the University of Münster included archaeologists, glaciologists and geophysicists. For the first time, researchers scanned the ice cover at the summit in detail using ground-penetrating radar and active seismic methods. The aim was to map the thickness of the ice sheet and the ground beneath it.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 5 THOUSAND METERS?
The goal of the research is not just to measure ice thickness. Scientists think that Ağrı’s ice may be an archive that preserves thousands of years of climate and human activities. Particles released into the atmosphere from metal production, fires, volcanic activities and environmental changes can leave traces on ice layers. In the next research, the team plans to extract a continuous ice core from Ağrı for the first time.
ARE THEY LOOKING FOR NOAH’S TRACES?
Since Mount Ararat has been associated with the Noah’s Ark narrative for centuries, the research naturally raised this question. However, the scientific program announced by the German-Turkish team does not include the goal of searching for Noah’s Ark or any wooden structure. However, obtaining thousands of years of environmental records from ice can reveal unknowns about the mountain’s past. For this reason, it is possible for scientific findings to come face to face with the old narratives of Ağrı.
GERMAN INTEREST STARTED IN 1829
Germans’ interest in Mount Ararat is not new. German naturalist Friedrich Parrot was the leader of the team that made the first recorded summit ascent of Ağrı in 1829. Then, German geologist Hermann Abich went to the mountain in 1845 and made studies on volcanic structure and geology. Thus, German scientific circles’ research on Ağrı dates back nearly two centuries.
