A team of archaeologists believe that they have accurately identified the location of an ancient battle, dated nearly 1,500 years ago, through the use of declassified spy satellite images.
Dr William Deadman has been the key protagonist in the discovery of the battle of Al-Qadisiyah, which took place in 637/8 AD.
His team from the University of Durham and the University of Al-Qadisiyah used declassified US spy satellite imagery from the 1970s, modern day images and historical texts to pinpoint the area of the battle.
Dr William Deadman has been the key protagonist in the discovery, with his team using declassified US spy satellite imagery from the 1970s, modern day images and historical texts to pinpoint the area of the battle.
Dr Deadman said: “This discovery provides a geographical location and context for a battle that is one of the founding stories of the expansion of Islam into modern day Iraq, Iran and beyond.
“During our survey work we were able to identify a six-mile-long double wall feature linking a military complex on the desert fringe and a large settlement on the edge of the southern Mesopotamian floodplain.
“This corresponded remarkably well to details within the rich body of historical sources relevant to the battle of Al-Qadisiyah.”
The battle’s significance marked the beginning of Arab and Islamic rule of Persia.
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The believed location of the site of the Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah
Durham University
The Arabs took the Persian capital which forced the last pre-Islamic emperor, Yazdagrid, to flee to Inner Asia.
Saddam Hussein used the battle as a symbol to justify war with Iran in the 80s and the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
The discovery of the battle was made as part of a wider project looking at the endangered archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa.
Dr Rajwan Almayli from the University of Al-Qadisiyah said “I am thrilled that researchers from Al-Qadisiyah University and Durham University were able, through working together, to discover the exact location of the historic Battle of Al-Qadisiyah.
Wider image showcasing the location of the Battle of Al-Qadisiyah
Durham University
“We hope that researchers and students of the two universities will continue to learn the secrets and mysteries of the archaeology.”
Led by Professor Graham Philip, the Durham team is now trying to locate further archaeological sites in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
The team are aiming to recognise the conditions of the sites and explain the factors that impact them.