Drones Reveal Unexplored Ancient Settlement in Iraqi Kurdistan

During the Cold War era, US spy satellites snapped stealthy images of the Soviet Union, China and their allies in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. When these images were declassified in the 1990s, photos of a rocky terrace in Iraqi Kurdistan caught the attention of archaeologists, who believed they could spot the ancient remnants of a large, square fort. Qalatga Darband, as the settlement is called, is located at a strategic point on the Darband-i-Rania pass, which once linked Mesopotamia to Iran. Archaeologists think the city was built on a route that Alexander of Macedon took in 331 BC while pursuing Persian King Darius III; who was fleeing from his defeat at the Battle of Gaugamela.

Drone images of Qalatga Darband were processed to enhance color differences and experts were able to observe irregularities in crop growth—an indicator of a structure below ground. The city, nearby Lake Dukan, was circled by a wall and had a fort, a temple, and wine presses.

Qalatga Darband appears to have been occupied during the early Parthian period, which spanned from the first century B.C. to the first century A.D. A coin discovered at the site depicts the Parthian king Orodes II, who ruled between 57 B.C. and 37 B.C. The Parthians were a major power, conquering vast swaths of territory after successful campaigns against a number of powerful groups, including the Hellenistic Seleucids and the Romans.