In 2024, researchers used Cold War spy-satellite images to identify a possible site of a pivotal seventh-century battle in Iraq

Archaeologists from Durham University used Cold War-era American spy satellite images to locate the site of the battle. This battle, fought between Arab Muslims and the Sassanid Empire, occurred around 636 AD. Their initial goal involved mapping historical routes for UNESCO, leading to the discovery. They found matching features such as double walls and a fortified settlement south of Kufa, Iraq.