Spy photos have narrowed down the search area, bringing archaeologists closer to uncovering the site of the Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah.

Archaeologists have made a significant breakthrough in pinpointing the location of the historic Battle of al-Qadisiyyah, a key event in early Islamic history. This discovery was achieved by combining declassified images from American spy satellites from the 1970s with historical documents and modern technologies, writes Arkeonews.

The battle, which took place between 637 and 638 AD, marked a decisive victory for Arab Muslims over the Sasanian Empire, facilitating the spread of Islam beyond the Arabian Peninsula.

A research team led by Dr. William Deadman from Durham University was investigating Darb Zubaidah, an ancient pilgrimage route from Kufa in Iraq to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, when they identified the battle site in Iraq's Najaf province, approximately 30 kilometers south of Kufa.

By utilizing satellite imagery and historical texts, they narrowed the battlefield's location down to one kilometer — a significant improvement compared to previous estimates that spanned a radius of 10-20 kilometers.

Dr. Deadman noted that the images revealed a 10-kilometer double wall that connected the military complex to a settlement on the Mesopotamian plain, aligning with historical accounts of the battle.

Ground studies by Iraqi archaeologists, particularly Dr. Jaafar Jotari and Dr. Rajwan Almayali from Al-Qadisiyyah University, confirmed these findings. The researchers identified the locations of al-Qadisiyyah and al-Udhaybah, key stops along Darb Zubaidah.

These collaborative efforts shed light on an event of great significance in Islamic history, which had remained geographically undefined due to a lack of archaeological evidence.

This discovery is part of the "Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa" (EAMENA) project, a joint initiative of the universities of Oxford, Durham, and Leicester.

Launched in 2015 with funding from Arcadia, the project aims to document and protect vanishing archaeological sites throughout the region.

We also reported on unique artifacts found in Poland. Archaeologists discovered them at the site of the Battle of Dubenka.