On Thursday, Maysan police announced the discovery of 400 ancient wells in the province’s al-Tayib district, believed to date back to the first millennium AD. The wells are thought to have been constructed during the Sassanid era.

According to the police, the site, located approximately 75 kilometers east of Amarah city, has been secured to prevent theft and damage. Mortaza al-Arjaai, an archaeological inspector, explained that these wells are similar to those found in the Kurdistan Region, historically used for irrigation. The wells were part of an ancient water transportation system, with channels dug alongside to distribute water to nearby cities.

An archaeological protection team from the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has been dispatched to the site for further examination and to provide recommendations for future surveys.

This discovery comes amid ongoing efforts to preserve Iraq’s rich cultural heritage. The last major Sassanid structure, the Arch of Ctesiphon, located 30 kilometers south of Baghdad, has been undergoing renovations. The arch, the largest brick-built structure in the world, was constructed around 540 AD, within the same millennium as the newly discovered wells.

Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, many archaeological sites have been subjected to looting and vandalism, with severe damage occurring in 2014 when ISIS occupied parts of the country, destroying and selling artifacts on the black market. However, Iraq has made significant strides in recent years in recovering these lost antiquities and restoring damaged heritage sites.

Authorities are hopeful that this new discovery will further enrich the understanding of ancient water management systems and the Sassanid era's impact on the region.