Declassified images taken by an American spy satellite in the 1970s led a British-Iraqi archaeological team to the site of a 7th-century battle that was decisive for the spread of Islam in the region.
The Battle of Al-Qadisiyya took place in Mesopotamia – in present-day Iraq – in the 630s AD. between Arab Muslims and the army of the Persian Sassanid dynasty, during the period of Muslim expansion. The Arab army emerged victorious and continued its campaign in Persia, present-day Iran.
A team of archaeologists from the UK’s Durham University and Al-Qadisiyah University found the site while conducting a remote sensing survey to map the Darb Zubaydah, a pilgrimage route from Kufa in Iraq to Mecca , Saudi Arabia, built over 1,000 years ago, reports Noi.md with reference to .
The site, located about 30 kilometers south of Kufa in southern Iraq’s Najaf province – a desert area with scattered farmland – had characteristics very similar to the description of the site of the Battle of Al-Qadisiyah described in historical texts.
There was a deep moat, two fortresses, and an ancient river that was once crossed by Persian troops on elephants. The research team also found fragments of pottery from the period when the battle took place.
The discovery is part of a larger project launched in 2015 to document endangered archaeological sites in the region.
