Archaeology breakthrough as scientists find incredible 1,400-year-old battlefield [al-Qadisiyyaha]

Express UK ^ | Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | Stephen Beech

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists pinpointed the location of the Battle of al-Qadisiyyaha which took place in what is now Iraq in 636 AD by combining space technology and historical texts.

The clash was a key victory for Arab Muslims in their expansion beyond Arabia, and remains part of the core curriculum for students of Arabic history.

But, until now, its precise location was not clear.

A team from Durham University led by Dr William Deadman, a specialist in archaeological remote sensing, conducted the research with colleagues at the University of Al-Qadisiyah in Iraq.

The researchers were undertaking a remote sensing survey to map out the route of the Darb Zubaydah, a Hajj pilgrimage route from Kufa in Iraq to Mecca in Saudi Arabia built over 1,000 years ago.

The survey used declassified US spy satellite imagery from the 1970s and compared these to modern day images and historical texts, to understand the stopping points along the route.

During their work the team realised they were also able to use sites and structures detailed in the historical texts, such as walls and settlements, which were also visible on the 20th Century satellite imagery, to accurately identify the location of the battle.

Their analysis, published in the journal Antiquity, places the battlefield around 18 miles (30 kms) south of Kufa in the Najaf Governorate.

[SunkenCiv]

Annotated KH9 spy satellite imagery from 1974 showing al-Qadisiyyah

Image: Durham University / SWNS

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks m!

[ridesthemiles]

All very interesting.

NOW find NOAH’s ARK.

[minnesota_bound]

Nothing has changed in all these years. Still fighting.