The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah (c. AD 637/8) was a crucial victory by the Arab Muslims over the forces of the Sasanian Empire during the early Islamic conquests. Analysis of satellite imagery of south-west Iraq has now revealed the likely location of this important historic battle.
In AD 636/637 the Arab Muslims and the Sasanian Empire fought a battle between the fertile Mesopotamian floodplain and the desert. It proved decisive for the Islamic conquest of Mesopotamia, Persia and beyond, and thus holds huge cultural significance in the Arab world. There is a rich body of historical sources relevant to the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah (Yusuf Reference Yusuf1945; Lewental Reference Lewental2011), but six pieces of evidence are key to locating it (Table 1).
