Ancient tombs discovered in Iraq due to drought after water levels in country's largest reservoir declined

Archaeologists in drought-hit Iraq have discovered 40 ancient tombs after water levels in the country's largest reservoir declined, an antiquities official said Saturday.

The tombs, believed to be over 2,300 years old, were unearthed at the edges of the Mosul Dam reservoir in the Khanke region of Duhok province in the country's north.

"So far, we have discovered approximately 40 tombs," said Bekas Brefkany, the director of antiquities in Duhok, who is leading the archaeological work at the site.

His team surveyed the area in 2023 but only spotted parts of a few tombs.

They were only able to work on the site when water levels dropped "to their lowest" this year, Brefkany said.

In recent years, archaeologists have uncovered ruins dating back thousands of years in the same area, as a result of droughts that have plagued Iraq for five consecutive years.

"The droughts have significant impact on many aspects, like agriculture and electricity. But, for us archaeologists... it allows us to do excavation work," Brefkany said.

The newly discovered tombs are believed to date back to the Hellenistic or Hellenistic-Seleucid period, according to Brefkany.