Old graves in Iraq were discovered due to drought after the lower levels of water in the country’s largest reservoir

Archaeological official said on Saturday that archaeologists in Iraq who struck drought discovered 40 ancient graves after lower levels of water in the largest reservoir in the country.

The tombs, which are believed to be over 2,300 years, were discovered on the edges of the dam tank in the Khank area in the Duhok Province in the north of the country.

“Until now, we have discovered about 40 cemeteries,” said Picas Brevkani, Director of Antiquities in Duok, who leads the archaeological work on the site.

His team wiped the area in 2023, but only monitored parts of some graves.

Brevkani said he was not only able to work on the site when the levels of water decreased “to the lowest” this year.

In recent years, archaeologists have discovered ruins dating back thousands of years in the same region, as a result of the drought that Iraq has been afflicted for five consecutive years.

“It has a great impact on many aspects, such as agriculture and electricity. But for archaeologists … we allow us to do excavations.”

The newly discovered graves are believed to date back to the Hellenistic or Hellenistic period, according to Bravkani.

He added that his team is working to dig the graves to transport them to the Duhok Museum for more study and preservation, before the area is overwhelmed again.

Iraq, which is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, faces high temperatures, chronic water shortages and dehydration on an annual basis.

The authorities have warned that this year was one of the droughts since 1933 and that only eight percent of its full capacity has decreased.

They also blame the source dams built in neighboring Iran and Turkey to significantly reduce the flow of the Tigris Tigris and its flight, which caused Iraq to commit for thousands of years.

Earlier this year, Archaeologists in Egypt revealed the thousand -year -old cemeteries for three senior statesmen, which were identified by the inscriptions that left the graves. The three sites in the city of Kamed to the era of the new Kingdom, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Egypt He said on social mediaWhich ranged from about 1550 to 1070 BC