A group of archaeologists from Great Britain and Iraq has revealed new insights into the secrecy of photographs of American satellites, dating back to the 1970s, potentially related to the battle location of the 7th century.
The battle at Cadesia took place in the land between the rivers, currently Iraq, in the 630s between Arab Muslims and the Persian dynasty of the Sasanids during the time of Islamic conquests. After defeating the Arabs, the Persian army continued its journey into Persia, present-day Iran, according to the Associated Press agency.
Under the guidance of researchers from the University of Durham (Great Britain) and the University of Cadesia, the site of the battle was discovered in an area scanned for mapping the route of Zubaydah – the roads from Kufa (Iraq) to Mecca (Saudi Arabia), constructed over a thousand years ago. Additionally, during the scanning, the team discovered ceramic fragments corresponding to the battle's time.
This discovery is part of a larger project initiated in 2015, documenting endangered archaeological sites in the region. The results have been published in the journal Antiquity.
While creating the map, the team noted that the site is located primarily 30 kilometers south of Kufa in the Najaf province in southern Iraq. This deserted location with fragments of landholding contains features that closely correspond to descriptions of the battle site at Cadesia from historical texts.
Expert in remote sensing from the University of Durham William Didmen noted that satellite images taken during the Cold War are widely used by archaeologists working in the Middle East because older images often show vanished or altered artifacts that are not visible in contemporary photographs.
Professor of archaeology at the University of Cadesia Jafar al-Ghazri, who participated in the team that conducted the discoveries, noted that the key characteristics of the site included a deep trench, two fortifications, and an ancient road, along which, according to legend, Persian forces once moved during the battles.
