Middle East
Latest about Middle East

Ancient Assyrian capital that's been abandoned for 2,700 years revealed in new magnetic survey
By Margherita Bassi published
A new magnetic survey of the ancient Assyrian capital of Khorsabad has revealed several structures, including a villa, buried underground.

7,000-year-old alien-like figurine from Kuwait a 'total surprise' to archaeologists
By Hannah Kate Simon published
A newfound clay head from the sixth millennium B.C. is the first of its kind ever found in Kuwait, but similar finds have been unearthed from ancient Mesopotamia.

5,000-year-old artifacts in Iraq hint at mysterious collapse of one of the world's 1st governments
By Tom Metcalfe published
Newly analyzed 5,000-year-old clay bowls unearthed in Iraq may be evidence of early government-like rule, a new study finds.

Declassified spy satellite images reveal 1,400-year-old battle site in Iraq that set off the Muslim conquest
By Sierra Bouchér published
Historical texts that mentioned details about the battle site helped researchers match the images to the lost town of al-Qadisiyyah.

Al Naslaa rock: Saudi Arabia's enigmatic sandstone block that's split perfectly down the middle
By Sascha Pare published
Al Naslaa is a rock formation in Saudi Arabia's northwestern desert consisting of two huge, symmetrical stone blocks that are separated by a mysterious gap and sit on small pedestals.

'A king will die': 4,000-year-old lunar eclipse omen tablets finally deciphered
By Owen Jarus published
Tablets added to the British Museum's collection many decades ago have finally been deciphered.

Remains of hundreds of 7,000-year-old 'standing stone circles' discovered in Saudi Arabia
By Owen Jarus published
Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia have now excavated eight ancient stone circles that likely served as homes to people more than 7,000 years ago.

Paleo-Arabic inscription on rock was made by Prophet Muhammad's companion before he converted, study finds
By Soumya Sagar published
The writing is only the second confirmed inscription whose attribution connects to Muhammad.

Gilgamesh flood tablet: A 2,600-year-old text that's eerily similar to the story of Noah's Ark
By Jennifer Nalewicki published
The baked clay tablet tells the tale of an epic flood.

Fairy Chimneys: The stone spires in Turkey that form 'the world's most unusual high-rise neighborhood'
By Sascha Pare published
Turkey's magical "fairy chimneys" in Cappadocia were carved out of an ancient volcanic landscape over millions of years before humans turned them into hiding dens.
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