Initial JORC Resource at Tavsan

1 October 2008
AIM / PLUS Markets: AAU

                   INITIAL JORC RESOURCE AT TAVSAN

Ariana  Resources  plc   ("Ariana"  or  "the   Company"),  the   gold
exploration and development company focused on Turkey, is pleased  to
announce its initial JORC resource  estimate on the Company's  Tavsan
gold  prospect  in  Kütahya  Province,  western  Turkey.   The  total
resource is  now approximately  215,000 ounces  of gold  equivalent.
There  is  potential  to   expand  the  resource  significantly   and
additional drilling is scheduled.

Highlights


  * SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd ("SRK") estimates a JORC compliant
    Indicated Mineral Resource of 87,000 oz gold and an Inferred
    Mineral Resource of 117,000 oz gold



  * Global resource is 4,900,000 tonnes at an average gold equivalent
    grade of 1.36 g/t: resource expected to be economically viable



  * Additional drilling planned to add further resources to the
    inventory



  * Preparations underway for a scoping study on a 30,000 ounce p.a.
    heap-leach operation


Dr. Kerim Sener, Managing Director, commented:

"This  initial  JORC  resource  for  the  Tavsan  prospect  is   very
encouraging and demonstrates  the potential of  this project to  grow
further.  This resource statement, coupled with the good  metallurgy,
confirms our expectation that Tavsan can be developed as a  1,000,000
tonne per annum heap-leach operation in the medium term.

"We are now planning  a programme of drilling  to further expand  the
resource.   There  are  large  parts  of  the  prospect  that  remain
un-drilled,  yet  there  is  clear  potential  for  further  resource
upside.  We are committed to defining a commercially viable  resource
at this location."

Resource Statement

SRK has completed a 3D geological model and mineral resource estimate
in compliance with the  JORC code for the  Main, Sivri and  Satellite
zones  of  gold-bearing  jasperoid  at  the  Tavsan  prospect.   This
resource model has been developed from the original 43-101  compliant
resource of approximately  140,000 oz  Au equivalent.   The new  JORC
resource reported  on here  is considered  by SRK  to be  potentially
economically mineable.

Classification of the resource model is based on geological and grade
continuity, drill-hole  spacing,  in  addition  to  the  distance  of
samples to blocks during interpolation.  The majority of the  current
resource is located within Main Zone, the north-eastern part of which
has been  drilled with  sufficient density  to support  an  Indicated
Mineral Resource.  Remaining parts  of the Main  Zone and the  nearby
Sivri and  Satellite  zones  are in  the  Inferred  Mineral  Resource
category.

SRK has placed  a depth limit  of approximately 30m  and 50m for  the
resource models on the  Main/Sivri and Satellite zones  respectively,
as most drill intersections are above this level and it is clear that
material below this level would not be extracted by open pit mining.
A historical cut-off grade of 0.7 g/t Au was applied, which  reflects
the relatively flat lying nature of the mineralisation, and therefore
low stripping ratio, and the amenability of gold recovery by low cost
heap-leaching.  Resource blocks measure 20m x  20m x 5m for the  Main
and Sivri Zones and 50m x 50m x 15m for the Satellite Zone.

SRK Mineral Resource Statement


Classification      Zone     Tonnage      Grade           Metal *
                                                  (Ag
                                (Kt) (Au g/t)    g/t) (oz Au) (oz Ag)

Indicated       Main           1,700      1.6     4.2  87,000 229,000

Inferred        Main & Sivri   1,300      1.0     3.6  42,000 153,000
Inferred        Satellite      1,900      1.2     3.7  75,000 227,000

Indicated Total                1,700      1.6     4.2  87,000 229,000
Inferred Total                 3,200      1.1     3.7 117,000 380,000


* Total  metal  equal  to  214,694  oz  gold  equivalent.   The  gold
equivalent is calculated on the basis  of a 50:1 price ratio  between
gold and  silver (this  price ratio  fluctuates and  is dependent  on
market conditions).

SRK has recommended  additional drilling  on the  Main and  Satellite
Zones and  considers  there  to  be good  potential  to  upgrade  the
Inferred Mineral Resources to  Indicated Mineral Resources.   Further
drilling  in  the   Satellite  Zone  is   expected  to  improve   the
understanding of the morphology of  the deposit, which should  assist
with the delineation of additional Mineral Resources.

Contacts:


Ariana Resources plc               Tel: [phone]
Michael Spriggs, Chairman
Kerim Sener, Managing Director

Beaumont Cornish Limited           Tel: [phone]
Roland Cornish

Lothbury Financial                 Tel: [phone]
Michael Padley / Louise Davis

Loeb Aron & Company Ltd            Tel: [phone]
Peter Freeman / Frank Lucas

Alexander David Securities Limited Tel: [phone]
Nick Bealer / David Scott



Editors' note:

Statement of Qualification

Martin Pittuck, MIOM3, C.Eng, a  Principal Resource Geologist at  SRK
with over 10 years experience in Mineral Resource estimation for gold
deposits, has  overseen  the  preparation of  this  estimate.  He  is
considered to be  a competent  person for the  purposes of  reporting
Mineral Resources in accordance  with the terminology and  guidelines
given in the JORC Code.

Sampling and Assaying Procedures

Since purchasing the  Tavsan Project from  Odyssey Resources  Limited
(Odyssey), Ariana have conducted check  assaying of the Odyssey  core
and RC chip samples.  The check assaying has been used to verify  the
historical  data  and  to  provide  a  level  of  confidence  in  the
historical  QA/QC  procedures.   The  close  agreement  between   the
historic and the re-assay data suggests  that the data can support  a
JORC compliant resource estimate.

About the Tavsan Prospect

The Tavsan prospect is located within a cluster of ten-year renewable
operating licences that form part of the Company's 100% owned  Tavsan
gold project in Balikesir Province, western Turkey.

Tasvan  lies  approximately  75km  to  the  east-north-east  of   the
Company's Kiziltepe prospect. The prospect  hosts over 4km in  strike
length of gold-silver bearing  jasperoid across an  area of at  least
4km by 4km. Individual segments  of jasperoid are exposed at  surface
for 500m  and are  up  to 20m  thick.  The mineralised  jasperoid  is
located along a low-angle thrust fault separating underlying Jurassic
limestone from overlying Late Cretaceous ophiolitic rocks.

Ariana acquired  the  Tavsan  Gold  Project  from  Odyssey  Resources
Limited (TSX-V: ODX) in May 2007.  Teck Cominco Limited (NYSE &  TSX:
TCK) retains  the right  to a  royalty of  up to  2% on  future  gold
production from the Tavsan gold project.

About Ariana Resources

Ariana  is  an  exploration   and  development  company  focused   on
epithermal gold-silver and porphyry copper-gold deposits in  Turkey.
The Company is exploring a portfolio of prospective licences selected
on the basis of its in-house geological and remote-sensing  database,
on its  own in  western Turkey  and in  Joint Venture  with  European
Goldfields Limited in north-eastern Turkey.

The Company's  flagship  assets  are its  Sindirgi  and  Tavsan  gold
projects.  Both projects  contain a series  of prospects, within  two
prolific mineralised districts in the Western Anatolian Volcanic  and
Extensional (WAVE) Province in  western Turkey.  This Province  hosts
the largest  operating  gold  mines  in  Turkey  and  remains  highly
prospective for  new porphyry  and epithermal  deposits.  These  core
projects, which are separated  by a distance  of 75km, are  presently
being assessed  as  to their  economic  merits.  The  total  resource
inventory  of  the   Company  stands  at   401,000  ounces  of   gold
equivalent.

Loeb Aron & Company Ltd.  and Alexander David Securities Limited  are
joint brokers  to the  Company and  Beaumont Cornish  Limited is  the
Company's Nominated Adviser.

For further  information  on Ariana  you  are invited  to  visit  the
Company's website at www.arianaresources.com.

Ends

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