17 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists have pinpointed the location of a famous early Islamic battle using declassified spy satellite images

Archaeologists from Durham University in the UK and the University of Al-Qadisiyah have identified the site of the historic Battle of al-Qadisiyyah in what is now Iraq by comparing historical accounts with declassified images from US spy satellites.

The team used declassified U.S. spy satellite imagery from the 1970s, which is now in the public domain, and compared it to modern-day images and historical texts.

Known as a pivotal conflict in the spread of Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, this conflict, which lasted from 637 to 638 CE, ended in a resounding victory for the Muslim Arabs. Even though this event was significant historically, its precise location had not been determined until now because there was insufficient archaeological evidence.

This battle played a central role in the early Islamic expansion, leading to a decisive Arab Muslim victory over the Sasanian Empire and clearing the way for Islam’s spread into Persia and beyond.

Probable location of the battle of al-Qadisiyyah. Credit: W.M Deadman / Bing imagery © 2024 Microsoft
Probable location of the battle of al-Qadisiyyah. Credit: W.M Deadman / Bing imagery © 2024 Microsoft

Dr. William Deadman, a specialist in archaeological remote sensing, was undertaking a remote survey to map out the Darb Zubaydah a pilgrimage route from Iraq’s Kufa to Mecca in Saudi Arabia– the pilgrimage route when the discovery was made.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The researchers think they have located the battlefield in Iraq’s Najaf Governorate, about 30 kilometers south of Kufa, by comparing historical texts with declassified satellite images from the Cold War. Previously, the precise location was not clear, with maps placing it within a radius of 10-20 kilometers, which Dr. Deadman described as a “huge” margin of error. He said the exact location of the battlefield had been tied down “quite precisely” to within perhaps 1 kilometer.

During their survey work, the team identified 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 finding corresponded remarkably well to details within the rich body of historical sources relevant to the battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the stopping points along the Darb Zubaydah.

1973 KH9 imagery of the main features discovered. Image Credit: W.M Deadman / United States Geological Survey
1973 KH9 imagery of the main features discovered. Image Credit: W.M Deadman / United States Geological Survey

Ground surveys carried out by Iraqi researchers, including Dr. Jaafar Jotheri and Dr. Rajwan Almayali from the University of Al-Qadisiyah, uncovered physical evidence that supports the findings. Additionally, the team was able to locate al-Qadisiyyah and al-‘Udhayb, two stopping points along the Darb Zubaydah, with confidence.

The research was part of the wider Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project, which focuses on the endangered archaeology of the region and was launched in 2015 to document endangered archaeological sites. The project is a collaboration between the universities of Oxford, Durham, and Leicester, and is funded by Arcadia.

Read the full article in Antiquity.

Durham University

Cover Image Credit: View of the al-Qadisiyyah battlefield. J. Jotheri

Related Articles

From Destruction to Discovery: Ancient Greek Tombstone Discovered in Libya After Storm ‘Daniel’

2 March 2025

2 March 2025

The Libyan Antiquities Authority has officially confirmed that an ancient artifact uncovered in the torrents caused by Storm “Daniel” in...

Kent Archaeological Society purchased an Anglo-Saxon hoard ahead of a London auction

1 November 2022

1 November 2022

The Kent Archaeological Society has bought a large collection of Anglo-Saxon artifacts from the sixth and seventh centuries known as...

New documentary searches history of Turkey’s 7,000-year-old Arslantepe Mound

28 December 2021

28 December 2021

The tale of Turkey’s fascinating 7,000-year-old Arslantepe Mound, an ancient building in Malatya, eastern Turkey that was just added to...

A 500-year-old mural linked to an Aztec god was found under layers of paint in Mexican Church

15 October 2022

15 October 2022

A mural of an Aztec rabbit God of alcohol is not something anyone expects to see inside a church, but...

Archaeological Complex from the Bulgar-Golden Horde Period Discovered in Tatarstan

22 March 2025

22 March 2025

Recent archaeological research conducted in the Alekseevski municipal district, located in the Republic of Tatarstan, has uncovered an archaeological complex...

Syria uncovered a large intact mosaic that dates back to the Roman era

12 October 2022

12 October 2022

Syria uncovered a large intact mosaic that dates back to the Roman era, in the central town of Rastan, describing...

Archaeologists have found seven pairs of Anglo-Saxon brooches in seven graves during an excavation in Gloucestershire

5 April 2022

5 April 2022

Archaeologists have found seven pairs of Anglo-Saxon saucer brooches, one pair in each of seven burials unearthed in an excavation...

1600-Year-Old Geometric Motifs Mosaic Found in Yavne

26 April 2021

26 April 2021

The Israel Antiquities Authority declared Monday that a 1,600-year-old mosaic discovered in Yavne, which archaeologists believe may have once graced...

Jordan Valley Reveals Earliest Cotton Use in the Ancient Near East

18 December 2022

18 December 2022

During excavations at Tel Tsaf, a 7,000-year-old town in the Jordan Valley, Israeli archaeologists discovered the earliest evidence of cotton...

2,000 Bronze Statue Fragments Found in Ancient Scrap Yard

20 January 2025

20 January 2025

Archaeologists in Izmir, Turkey have made an extraordinary discovery in the ancient city of Metropolis: Approximately 2,000 bronze statue fragments...

It may have been designed in Nevali Çori before Göbeklitepe was built

10 October 2021

10 October 2021

Göbeklitepe, Nevali Çori, Karahantepe, and Taştepeler, which will make us rethink what we know about human history, change the information...

A 2,000-year-old wooden bridge that once linked England and Wales discovered

31 August 2023

31 August 2023

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Roman and Anglo-Saxon fortifications in the town of Chepstow in the United Kingdom. Surprisingly, however,...

Where We Saw Sin, There Was Care: A Baby Buried in a Medieval Belgian Brothel

23 May 2025

23 May 2025

A medieval brothel in Belgium yields a discovery that forces historians to confront forgotten tenderness in places long seen only...

3800-years-old Akkadian Cuneiform Tablet found in Turkey’s Hatay

11 August 2023

11 August 2023

A 3,800-year-old Akkadian cuneiform tablet was found during the archaeological excavations carried out in the Aççana Mound, the old city...

Iraqis Disliked El Nouri Mosque’s Restoration Plan

18 April 2021

18 April 2021

UNESCO recently announced that the El Nouri mosque, which was bombed by ISIL(The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant),...