Darb Zubaydah

University of Al-Qadisiyah, Iraq

May 2024 – present

The Darb Zubaydah was a 1,300 km long road built from 751 CE to serve pilgrims travelling from Kufa and Baghdad to Makkah and Madinah. A series of rest stops, wells and cisterns were constructed, along with lighthouses to guide the pilgrims who often travelled at night.

In collaboration with Dr Rajwan Al-Maiyali and the University of Al-Qadisiyah, I submitted a successful application for funding from the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) towards the documentation and preservation of the Darb Zubaydah route in southern Iraq. Our project focusses initially on the rest stop and manara (lighthouse) of Umm Al-Qurun, in addition to documentation of other key sites on the Darb Zubaydah.

The project team has undertaken photography and drone filming of all structures at Umm Al-Qurun, followed by emergency protection measures around the manara. The team has also organised outreach events with local communities to increase awareness of the site’s importance.