Declassified U.S. spy satellite imagery from the 1970s has guided a British-Iraqi archaeological team to the believed location of the seventh-century Battle of al-Qadisiyah, a pivotal event in the spread of Islam across the region.
Fought in the 630s A.D. in Mesopotamia—modern-day Iraq—the battle saw Arab Muslims face off against the army of the Sassanid Persian dynasty during a time of Muslim expansion. The Arab forces emerged victorious, advancing further into Persia, now Iran.
While mapping the historic pilgrimage route Darb Zubaydah, which connects Iraq’s Kufa to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, researchers from Durham University in the U.K. and the University of Al-Qadisiyah discovered the site approximately 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Kufa. Their findings, published in the journal Antiquity, indicate features aligning with descriptions from historical texts about the battle.
William Deadman, an expert in archaeological remote sensing at Durham University, explained that Cold War-era satellite images are invaluable for researchers in the Middle East. These older images often reveal features that may have been obscured or destroyed over time due to agricultural and urban development. “The Middle East has developed so significantly in the last 50 years,” he noted, citing clearer features seen in 1970s images compared to present-day ones.
Ground surveys confirmed the team’s hypotheses, revealing key elements such as a deep trench, two fortresses, and an ancient river once crossed by Persian troops mounted on elephants. Jaafar Jotheri, a professor of archaeology at the University of Al-Qadisiyah and a member of the team, stated that pottery shards discovered at the site match the era of the battle.
For many Iraqis of Jotheri’s generation, the Battle of al-Qadisiyah is ingrained in collective memory, with detailed accounts of the conflict, including the names of the commanding generals. The battle held significant political relevance during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, with Saddam Hussein using it to promote narratives of victory.
In the post-Saddam era, views on the battle have become politically charged, often reflecting individuals’ sentiments toward Iran, which has expanded its influence in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam. Jotheri remarked, “There is some political and religious context in this battle… but we all agree that it is an important and decisive event.”
The team plans to commence excavations of the site next year. This discovery aligns with a broader initiative started in 2015 aimed at documenting endangered archaeological sites across Iraq, a region renowned as the “cradle of civilization.” Decades of conflict have hampered archaeological efforts, leading to the looting of countless artifacts, but recent years have seen a resurgence in archaeological activities and the repatriation of thousands of stolen items.
Credit: ABC News
